How to prepare your car for Yakutia's harsh winter

Yakutian winter is not just a season. It«s a test for people and... cars. No iron horse can survive the frost without special preparation. When the thermometer consistently shows –45 °C (–49 °F), and sometimes lower, the engine turns into an ice cube, the battery loses half its power, the wheels become square, and the oil thickens like honey from the freezer. But local drivers have long found ways to tame the north. 14.RU has gathered life hacks on how to help your car make it to spring in Yakutia.

Japanese cars are the best friends of Yakutians

Residents of the republic love reliable classics — small Japanese cars, especially the Toyota Probox; Yakutians even have an urban legend that every successful Yakut must have a Probox. They also appreciate «real» SUVs: for example, Toyota Land Cruiser, Hilux, Prado, as well as Lexus, Nissan Patrol and, of course, UAZ — all of them are frequent sights in yards and parking lots. These models are famous for their simple mechanics, durable engines, and high ground clearance (road clearance. — Ed.). Simplicity is the main advantage.

If you drive around the city streets, you can notice that people here don«t chase after the latest models much, and »Europeans« like BMW, Mercedes, or Volvo are rare migratory birds in Yakutsk that consistently turn into bears in winter: they hibernate until spring.

How to prepare your car and what to take with you

The first rule is to check the battery. It«s better to install a fresh, powerful one and insulate it with a special cover or an electric heater.

Next are oils and fluids. Everything should be switched to winter-grade in advance. The oil should be synthetic with low viscosity, antifreeze with a reserve down to –60 °C (–76 °F). Don«t forget the washer fluid; it should also be frost-resistant: in summer it smells like oranges, but in winter it turns into an icy crust on the windshield.

Door seals and locks should be treated with silicone so you don«t have to pry the doors open with a crowbar in the morning. Also, check the spark plugs, fuel system, and tires — studs are mandatory here.

Insulation also needs attention: you must cover the car«s »face« (front grille), for which dense canvas is suitable, but if you look, you can find special covers for each model; enterprising Chinese have managed here too. It»s advisable to cover the oil pan as well. These manipulations are needed to prevent cold air from entering the engine. Among unusual know-hows — making the air intake warm using... a sponge. You need to find the air filter housing, disconnect it, and put an ordinary sponge there.

The hood also needs to be insulated; there are special blankets for this, but you can manage the old-fashioned way with felt, the main thing is that the fibers don«t get sucked into the air filter, so the material should be placed on top, for example, on cardboard.

The car windows need to be covered with a second layer of glass, then the heat inside the cabin will be retained better, and the second layer will also prevent the windows from fogging up.

An experienced Yakutian driver never sets out lightly in winter. In the trunk, there are always jumper cables and a portable starter, a tow rope, an automatic pump, a shovel, and a small set of tools. And if you«re heading out of town, it»s better to put spare fuel, a thermos with hot tea, a warm blanket, mittens, and even matches in the trunk. After all, if the car stalls far from people, the main thing is not to freeze yourself while helping it come back to life.

It«s good to have a small set of fuses, light bulbs, a couple of bottles of antifreeze, and a power bank for your phone. And to clear snow and ice from the windows, you need to arm yourself with a brush (even the one used for sweeping floors will do) and a scraper. Some enterprising people scrape off frozen snow with bank cards, but we don»t recommend repeating that. It«s slow, cold, and risky for the card.

Every Yakut has their own «Natasha»

Where to leave cars overnight? Not everyone can boast a personal warm garage, and rental costs about 30,000 rubles per month (approximately $300 at current rates). This issue needed to be solved urgently, and that«s when she appeared — »Natasha«. No one knows exactly who the pioneer was or who came up with using them, but such »Natashas« have firmly taken a place in car owners» hearts.

«Natasha» is portable garages, similar to large tents or blankets. The car blanket consists of several layers: synthetic padding, hollow fiber, wool blend, down analog, membrane fabric, bamboo fiber, Oxford material. Some have special «ears» for side mirrors and a lower «skirt».

At night, the car is covered with a portable garage and the auto-start is set. This way, the car starts several times during the night and doesn«t freeze. There are obvious advantages: no need to build a garage, heat is retained better inside, the body doesn»t get covered in ice, and when you remove the cover, the car no longer looks like a snowball.

You must not forget to install a pipe for exhaust gas removal, otherwise they can accumulate inside. Also, pay attention to ventilation to prevent moisture from appearing. It«s recommended to dry such garages, and at least occasionally leave the car indoors overnight, but some are lucky and manage to drive without this.

Special attention is paid to security: portable garages are often stolen, so owners paint their car«s license plate number in large letters directly on the fabric with spray paint and place cobblestones on the edges of the garage. Well, just in case the thief is lazy, didn»t eat enough porridge, and doesn«t want to haul heavy weights.

In Yakutia, a car is not just a means of transportation, but a faithful companion in the battle with the elements. Here, they care for the car almost like a living being: they cover it, warm it, and carefully listen to every knock.

In winter, the car teaches patience, responsibility, and attentiveness. After all, whoever manages to start the engine at –55 °C (–67 °F) has in some sense defeated nature itself.

What to do if the car won«t start?

When cars are left outside, they usually use an alarm with auto-start, which starts the car at a certain temperature — you can install it yourself. But if it happens that the car couldn«t be started, special services come to the rescue to warm up the iron horse. Such rescuers arrive with a heat gun and within half an hour bring the car back to life. This, of course, won»t be cheap, but there are enough services in Yakutsk that earn money by thawing cars in winter.