Peterborough Battery is doing a steady trade these days, with this cold weather snap killing batteries across the city.
“When we get multiple days of this extreme cold, it causes a lot of batteries to just not want to work anymore. They’ll either freeze, or if there’s anything that’s weak, they’ll just stop working,” said employee TJ Lacey.
Lacey says there are a few things you can do to make sure your car starts when the thermostat drops.
“A lot of cars are equipped with a block heater. You can use those — that makes it a lot easier on the motor to start, it doesn’t require as much power. If you have a heated garage, you can put it in there,” he said.
It takes anywhere from four to 10 minutes to replace a car battery, and Lacey says most customers manage to get to the shop after getting a jump start.
And those boosts are what’s been keeping tow truck drivers like David Ephgrave busy, who says calls have been coming in at all hours since temperatures plunged about two weeks ago.
“You just grab sleep when you can — it’s a multitude of calls, you just try to keep up and keep everyone happy,” Ephgrave said.
Ephgrave says most of the time, they’re helping motorists who need a jump start.
“We’re seeing multitudes of boosts, and door unlocks because people get their cars running, but then they self-lock.”
However, that’s something police are asking motorists not to do.
Cobourg police say they’ve seen an increase in vehicle thefts, something they’re attributing to the colder weather and idling cars.