I suppose I should have asked _before_ I bought a 2000 S-Class but..

How do they handle in winter?
Starting issues or anything else I should be aware of?
The car came from Chico, CA so it is going to get a thorough going over and winterization next weekend.
It does drop into the -30F area (that's -35C for you non 'mericans) plus snow, ice, blizzards, low flying Witches, etc.
Thanks for any help.

 

Good winter tyres needed and avoid a heavy right foot.

Before you do anything else did you check your engine has the metal-bodied chain tensioners?

 

A good look underneath the car for possible rust areas in case of salted roads....also between the plastic inner fender guards and car body...if coolant strength or age is unknown, then a complete coolant change...before the coolant change, i recommend a coolant system pressure check in case you have any leaks....i do not live in a icy, snowy climate, so these things i mentioned are the extent of what i know for sure.....there are quite a few members that drive their cars year round no n sub zero climates and i am sure they will give you their recommendation also

 

If the coolant is being changed, replace the water outlet and thermostat. Also, make sure the DCCV is functioning correctly if you're living somewhere that gets to -35 C it's nice to have a working heater.

 

Thanks for the quick answers.

The first applies to any vehicle driven in icy conditions, there's a large empty parking lot near my house that I plan on using to get a better "feel" of how she handles snow and ice. There's a world of difference between how the Jaguar handles on dry pavement than the FWD American cars I'm used to and I'd imagine that it's multiplied on snow.

I'm going to pull the car into one of the bays at work tomorrow to check the tensioners. Reading these forums before I bought is probably one of the best investments of time I've made in a while, saved me from making a couple of expensive mistakes while looking for one.

The car spent it's life in southern California until it was auctioned and wound up here so there is Zero rust. Most 20 year old cars here are rustbuckets unless they were not driven in winter or were washed regularly. I quit taking my '05 Buick to the car wash because every time I did another chunk of body panel would get blown off. My wife's '11 Lacrosse is still rust free and it gets a bath 3 or 4 times a week during the winter months. An unlimited wash pass was purchased the second day I owned the car.

I'll check the coolant while I'm checking the tensioners tomorrow. Thanks for the reminder. I've seen more than one "smog fail" vehicle blow the soft plugs the first time it gets really cold

The heater works great. We've already got chilly mornings and the electric windshield defroster clears a foggy windshield like magic. I wonder how well it will handle a cm of ice.
Changing the thermostat would probably be a good idea in any case. We also get temps over +40C

 

Sounds like you have your bases covered and a lot of car savvy.....enjoy and good luck

 

The only other thing would be the battery.....these cars are finicky about having at least 12.6 volts at rest..being in a cold area you already know the drill i am sure....i have never dealt with ice or salted roads on a daily basis....sounds frustrating at times

 

Although I've never had a full cm of ice on my windshield, when I do get ice I use Prestone Windshield De-Icer. Spray on, wait 15-30 seconds or so, wipers push it all off. I haven't had any negative issues with it. This has been on all my vehicles except the Jaguar as I haven't had a winter with it as yet.

Back to morning brew . . .

 

Mercedes? Or was that a weird autocorrect for S-Type?

FWIW, I dislike driving my S-Type with snow or ice. Even with good M&S tires and traction control, there's just too much power in a relatively light car. I'm well versed in winter driving, having grown up in a "from" state. This poor car is just too easy to get stuck on ice or snow. In the winter, I watch the weather forecast very carefully. I'll leave the car home and drive my old pickup if there is any doubt about road conditions.

 

More like cerebral-flatulence rather than auto-correct

The power/weight ratio issue is not new to me. I had a '68 Chevelle SS 396/auto with 4.11 positraction and other big block American Iron in lighter vehicles. A light touch with the left foot and shifting to neutral or disengaging the clutch when stopping saves a lot of grief. Getting to know the car a bit I'd think ground clearance in snow might be my worst enemy.

The City is very good about plowing and sanding. My driveway is only 100 or so yards from a snow route so once I make it that far the in town conditions are usually pretty good. If the weather is expected to be really bad I can bring the company car with AWD home. I'm still crazy but I don't have the energy to be (that) stupid anymore.

Tested the battery and it's going to get replaced. It looks like a tractor battery so I'll have some good options for low Temp. performance there. If it'll start a diesel tractor at -30F a small gas V8 should be no problem.

Never tried the Prestone but my experience with de-icers in a can has been disappointing at best.

The general procedure here is to start the car and turn on the defrosters, preferably with a remote start, then go back inside and sit down with some morning brew while the car warms up enough to start melting the ice then it scrapes of quite easily. Very thick ice requires 2 cups.

 

Some members are having great results with the optima brand battery

 

Try this stuff instead:

https://prestone.com/products?detail=AS250


It's not the aerosol can stuff. You run your washer fluid reservoir dry and then refill with this at full strength. When I go out to my vehicle in the morning, the only thing I do is make sure the wipers aren't frozen to the glass. Once I start the engine, I hit the windshield wash button and this lovely de-icer sprays out and makes quick work of any frost or light ice.

Just make sure the wipers are not frozen to the glass. On most cars, the wipers automatically cycle when you press the wash button. If the wipers arms can't move, it may blow a fuse.

 

I've seen good things about the Optima batteries but I can get a "Super Start" group 49 with 900 CCA and a 5 year warranty for less $. I've had good luck with them in the past. I have one that's almost 8 years old and it was still cranking it over last winter without fail.

I'll give that a shot. Hopefully it will reduce my Lady's cranky quotient when she has light ice after work

A common sight when it's cold here is the wipers sticking up to keep them from freezing to the windshield.

 

I never thought of that, great tip. Back when I was a commuting working man, I only had an iced up windshield maybe 10 times a year. Now, not an issue. As for washer fluid de-icer vs spray, the spray would de-ice your wipers if you left them down.

Back to morning brew .. .

 

It was raining yesterday and I discovered that the wipers finish their cycle when the ignition is turned off on my S-Type. I'll check to see if they can still be folded up today when I won't get soaked doing it. We only have one garage space and her baby gets that.

We've decided to keep the old LeSabre through the winter. FWD and good tires it's one of the best snow cars I've owned so the rough weather issue has been resolved for the most part.

The main problem with the canned de-icer is that in temps. below 0F they actually make things worse. As it evaporates the windshield get colder and whatever water is still in the air winds up freezing to the inside of the glass unless you can hold your breath until the defroster can warm it above outside temp again. At -30F it dribbles out of the can soaking your glove and that's almost like grabbing a handful of dry ice.

I need to be off to my position as the Curator of Obsolete Technology.