Car won't start in the cold? Try these tips

A minus 37 degrees Celsius morning in Estevan on Wednesday likely saw several people struggling to start their vehicles.

Bill Fonstad, who owns CARSTAR in Estevan, has some tips for giving your car its best chance to start when the temperature plummets.

"I guess the biggest tip is plug your car in, and don't forget," said Fonstad. "Write yourself a note the night before to plug your car in. I always plug in anything minus 18 or lower."

"A lot of people say 'well my car has always started.' But the worst thing for an engine is cold starting. Just because it does start when it's very cold doesn't mean it's good for your engine, so plug in," he continued.

Fonstad also recommends warming up the engine before driving away.

"Let it warm up five minutes at least," he said. "You can let it run until the interior's warm, but there's not really a need for that. But you don't want to rev your engine up until the engine gets close to operating temperature."

Fonstad said there's virtually no difference between starting your vehicle with command start versus a key, and that command start can be used regardless of how cold it gets.

"It's okay to use...that's what it's designed for. The command start just tells your starter to turn the engine over, no different than your key. I use mine all the time," he said.

Fonstad gave one more tip for vehicle owners.

"It's a good idea to unplug before you drive away," he joked. "We've all seen the extension cords laying on the street on a cold morning."