How to get that car out of the driveway - the rest is up to you
These are the times that try men's (and women's) souls and their car motors.
Thomas Paine didn't exactly use those words but if he was around now trying to start up his horse in the freezing cold, I think he'd understand.
And if we don't have the Founding Fathers around anymore to offer sage advice, a knowledgeable mechanic is a good second best.
As the longtime owner of Hawkeye Automotive in Lake Zurich, Vic Pfammatter's up to his rearview mirror in repairs this month.
Some of the biggies are dead batteries, wheel and suspension problems, plus broken window and wiper systems.
That brings up our first piece of advice on how you and your vehicle can survive until spring.
• If the windows or wipers aren't moving - give them time. Constantly flicking those switches can cause breakages. And it's a good idea to dig out the ice and snow around the wiper blades.
What else?
• Keep your car washed when weather permits and don't forget the undercarriage to eliminate salt.
• If your battery is more than 3-1/2 years old, have it tested.
• Check the tire pressure regularly. Temperatures dropping from 30 degrees to 0 can lower tire pressure and you don't want to hit those potholes without a good air cushion.
FAQ
• Should you warm up your car on a freezing day? Not necessary. New cars manufactured since the late 1990s have high-tech systems that compensate for cold weather.
• Is it better to purchase premium gas in bad weather? Not really. In fact, cheaper low-octane fuel ignites better in low temperatures, Pfammatter says. He does recommend keeping the tank full.
• If you don't have a garage, should you use an engine heater or cover the battery with a blanket? Nope. "If you have a good battery, proper oil levels and you're caught up on overall maintenance, it shouldn't be an issue," Pfammatter says.
And as Paine writes in "Common Sense," be careful out there, yield to the plows and please clear off the snow from your vehicle so it doesn't blow all over mine.
As the state turns
It's alphabet soup reading the 76-page FBI affidavit issued the day of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's corruption arrest.
There's Deputy Governor A, Lobbyist 1, Individual B and my personal favorite, Highway Contractor 1.
Highway Contractor 1 is an officer with a company that is a large supplier of concrete in Illinois and is active in a large trade association, the American Concrete Pavement Association, according to prosecutors.
The gov. was tape-recorded saying he intended to squeeze Contractor 1 for a $500,000 campaign contribution related to his announcement of a $1.8 billion plan to create carpool or "Green Lanes" on the Illinois tollway and if the money came through, he'd increase the cost of the project, to the benefit of the donor, authorities say.
Predictably, there's a ton of construction contractors out there who also donate to the governor's re-election. But when one industry source suggested the governor's mark might be an executive with Prairie Materials Sales Inc., a Midwest-based ready-mix concrete company, I put in a call.
"I'm not a contractor," the executive said in December, adding the whole scandal came as a big surprise.
Last week, Steve Gallagher, the vice president of VCNA - the parent company of Prairie Materials, wrote me saying that, "Prairie Materials will cooperate fully with authorities in any investigation." He noted that there are no allegations of wrongdoing against Prairie Materials or its employees.
The company has received close to $1 million in contracts from state agencies since 2004, according to the Illinois comptroller's office. The unnamed executive has donated $6,000 to Friends of Blagojevich, listing his position with the company and giving its address in state records.
On another Blagojevich/construction topic, AP reports that Engineering Firm A, whose president held a fundraiser for the governor in November and has received more than $10 million in state agency contracts over the last four years, is Teng & Associates of Chicago.
Prosecutors are tying Blagojevich's support for a capital bill to improve roads and infrastructure to his shakedown of construction companies. The governor says he is innocent and calls the charges trumped-up.
I'm just saying
This week Metra canceled its board of directors' meeting on Friday because of "extreme weather conditions." And I was pleased I didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn with morning temperatures below zero.
But for the record, Regional Transportation Authority directors (and media types) toughed it out Thursday when the cold was just as brutal if not worse.