The Prince Albert Daily Herald: News | Cold weather causing car trouble for residents

Block heaters are broken, batteries dead, heaters not functioning, thermostats sticking and hoses are cracking.

"It just gets so cold, things get brittle and break," said Perry Hulowski, owner of Perry's Automotive.

"When it turns 40 below and people are wiggling the end of their block-heater cord they end up breaking it, it's just like a piece of ice. Even rubber doesn't want to be pliable in that temperature," said Bodnarchuk.
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He said properly warming vehicles means cars should be turned on 10 to 15 minutes before trying to drive anywhere. Block heaters on timers should be switched on four hours before the trip.

Any temperature below -25 C means a vehicle should be plugged in.