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(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

As temperatures plummet in Kamloops and the Okanagan, tow truck drivers and auto shops are busy with service calls.

"We're six hours behind. When it's this cold, batteries don't fare well," Mike Pearen with Don's Auto Towing in Kamloops said.

His drivers are heading out to help drivers whose car batteries are too cold to start or their locks are frozen.

Pearen estimated that they would normally have a 30 to 40 minute wait time for calls, but the cold snap that the Interior this week has them driving nonstop for service calls.

Temperatures below -20 Celsius aren't common in this area, so many drives aren't accustomed to plugging in block heaters or other normal winter maintenance in other parts of the country.

Pearen said they are telling drivers who cannot start their vehicles to plug in their block heaters for at least three to four hours before they will send a driver, as they work through triple their normal calls per day.

With record breaking cold temperatures hitting the region, some automotive shops have reopened after Christmas holidays to vehicles towed in or driven in with typical cold weather issues.

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Leaking water pumps, dead or frozen batteries, and failing power steering pumps are all common problems when temperatures plummet, and automotive shops are struggling to keep up with the work.

Southgate Automotive and Radiator Service in Kamloops had very few appointments scheduled when they reopened on Tuesday morning, but the entire week was full with appointments within the first few hours of the day.

iNFOnews.ca attempted to reach other automotive shops in Kamloops and Kelowna, but most were too busy with the immediate demand Tuesday morning for an interview.

A good way to avoid vehicle headaches is simple vehicle maintenance checks, Shane Stauffer, manager of Southgate Automotive, said. While it's important to plug in a block heater when the weather gets cold, most of the issues that come into his shop due to extreme weather are things that could have been addressed earlier through simple maintenance.

"It's all about consumer awareness," Stauffer said. "Check your oils, your coolant and your tires."

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He recommended checking oil levels every visit to a fuel station and checking tire pressures at least once per month. Keeping fuel levels above half a tank is safe practice for a vehicle to prolong the fuel system and help avoid a fuel line freezing when temperatures plummet. 

While gasoline does not easily freeze, contaminants often settle in the bottom of a fuel tank and can cause a gas line to freeze if it's left too low on a cold winter night.

Low tire pressure may not affect a vehicle's ability to start in the morning, but it does fluctuate with temperature changes. Making sure tires are at the recommended air pressure will prolong their lifespan, while making a morning commute safer.

Stauffer added that a block heater will heat an engine's coolant, allowing for easier rotation on start-up and less strain on the battery.

While cold weather can be hard on vehicles, he said regular maintenance can help reduce issues that arise when extreme temperatures come around. Extreme heat in the summer can put similar stresses on a vehicle, he added.

Stauffer also warned that COVID-related supply issues are still slowing down their service times as some parts, including batteries, may be unavailable anywhere in Canada.

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