Getting your car ready for winter: the full checklist
In short
Before winter, check seven things: the battery's condition, the first number of your oil viscosity (0W or 5W), the coolant freeze point (at least −30 °C), winter washer fluid, the wiper blades, winter tyres fitted below +7 °C with at least 4 mm of tread, and every light on the car. The battery and the fluids are the most common reasons for a morning when the car will not start or cannot be driven safely.
The battery gives up first
Cold hits a battery twice over. On one hand, available capacity drops significantly at sub-zero temperatures compared with 20 °C. On the other, cold oil is thicker, so the starter draws more current at exactly the moment the battery can deliver less. A car battery typically has a useful life of 4–5 years, and less where journeys are consistently short. If yours has reached that age, an autumn check is essential. The quick check: measure the resting voltage, at least a few hours after switching off. Around 12.6 V means a charged battery; below 12.4 V means partial discharge; below 12.0 V is a serious warning. Voltage alone does not tell the whole story though — a load test at a workshop shows whether the battery can still deliver cranking current. Clean the terminals of oxidation, check they are tight, and if you only drive a few kilometres a day, charge the battery periodically with a charger. The alternator cannot recover what starting consumed during a ten-minute trip with headlights, heated rear screen and the blower at maximum.
Engine oil: the first number is what counts
When it comes to oil in winter, the number before the W is what matters. It describes how easily the oil flows in the cold and therefore how quickly it reaches the bearings in the first seconds after start-up — the moment when most engine wear occurs. A 5W covers Moldovan winters comfortably. A 0W brings a genuine advantage below −15 °C and for cars parked outdoors. If you run 10W-40 and the manual also permits a grade with a lower first number, switching before winter makes sense. One caution: you may only change viscosity within the range given in the manual's chart, and while keeping the same specification (ACEA, API, manufacturer approval). Do not move to a different class purely for the winter number. The oil's age matters too. Oil near the end of its interval, diluted with fuel from short autumn trips, will enter winter in its worst possible condition. If the change is due anyway, do it in October or November rather than February.
The cooling system and cabin heat
Coolant is checked by measurement, not by colour. A refractometer or hydrometer shows within seconds the temperature at which the mixture in your car will freeze. A sensible target for Moldova is protection to at least −30 °C, which leaves margin for the water top-ups made over the summer. A weak mixture does more than strand you: ice forming in the block and radiator can crack components and destroy the water pump. While you are there, check the level cold, between MIN and MAX, the condition of the hoses (fine cracks, soft or swollen sections) and the expansion tank cap, which maintains the system's working pressure. Poor cabin heating has three common causes: a low fluid level, air trapped in the system, or a thermostat stuck open, in which case the engine warms very slowly and uses more fuel. A partly blocked heater matrix delivers warmth on one side and cold air on the other. All of it is easier to sort out in November than in January.
Visibility: blades, fluid and demisting
In winter, most of the risk comes not from grip but from not being able to see. A dirty windscreen with low morning sun behind it cuts visibility to almost nothing. Washer fluid must be swapped for a winter product rated colder than the coldest night you expect. Summer fluid or water freezes in the reservoir, cracks it and destroys the pump, and on the glass it forms an instant film of ice. Wiper blades age under summer sun and fail in the first cold month. If they streak, judder or squeal, replace them before winter. Never switch on wipers frozen to the glass: the motor and linkage pay the price. The cabin filter directly affects demisting. A clogged filter reduces airflow and the windows mist up and stay misted. Check the recirculation setting too — for fast demisting it must be off, so the humid air can leave the car. A silicone spray on the door seals stops them freezing shut, and a lock de-icer prevents jammed barrels.
Tyres, pressure and brakes
Winter tyres go on not after the first snowfall but when average temperatures fall below roughly +7 °C. Below that threshold, the rubber compound in summer tyres hardens and loses grip even on dry tarmac. Tread depth matters more in winter than in summer. The legal minimum is 1.6 mm, but on snow a winter tyre loses much of its effectiveness below roughly 4 mm, because the sipes can no longer clear snow and water. Pressure falls with temperature — roughly 0.1 bar for every 10 degrees of cooling. Check pressures cold, monthly, against the plate on the door pillar, and do not forget the spare, which is usually the most neglected wheel on the car. Inspect the tyres visually as well: sidewall cracks, deformation, age (the DOT code gives week and year). Rubber ages even when tread depth is good. On the brakes, check pad thickness and disc condition before winter. And if you park outdoors, avoid leaving the handbrake on in sub-zero temperatures after a wash: the shoes can freeze to the drum.
Lights and the winter kit
Short days mean you will be driving home in the dark. Check every bulb with someone helping: dipped and main beam, side lights, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reversing lights, front and rear fog lights. Clean the lenses, and if they have hazed over, polishing restores part of their output. If the car has a headlight levelling dial on the dashboard, adjust it when carrying heavy loads. From November to March, the boot is worth stocking with: an ice scraper and snow brush, work gloves, jump leads or a booster pack, a blanket, a small shovel, a torch, a tow rope, de-icer spray, a litre of the oil your car actually uses and a spare bottle of winter washer fluid. All of this takes about an hour, once a year. Our shop stocks oils, coolant, winter washer fluid and wiper blades, with prices in MDL, free delivery from 500 MDL and same-day dispatch in Chișinău.
Need the part we wrote about?
The catalogue carries the right products, priced in MDL with delivery across Moldova. If you are unsure about fitment, call us and we will check it against your VIN.
Frequently asked questions
When should I fit winter tyres?
When average daily temperatures fall consistently below roughly +7 °C, not after the first snowfall. Below that threshold, summer rubber hardens and loses grip even on dry roads.
Do I need to warm the engine up before driving off?
A few tens of seconds is enough for the oil to reach everywhere. The rest of the warm-up happens more efficiently on the move, at low revs and without hard acceleration, until the temperature gauge starts to rise.
Why do my windows mist up in winter?
Because of humidity inside the cabin combined with cold glass. Check the cabin filter, switch recirculation off while demisting, use the air conditioning to dry the air if the car has it, and take wet mats out of the car.
What should I do if the car will not start in the morning?
If the starter turns slowly or only clicks, the battery is the most likely cause. Do not persist with long repeated attempts; use jump leads or a booster, then have the battery and alternator checked, because the problem will return.