Electric Freeze?

QUESTION: With winter on the horizon, I’m wondering if cold weather can freeze the electrical lines that run your windshield wipers? Sometimes when I start my car after a nasty storm the wipers won’t move until it gets much warmer outside. The wipers aren’t frozen to the windshield. I know to turn them off in down position when I park the car, and I can pull the wipers away from the window. They just won’t move when I turn them on. ANSWER: I suspect what’s going on is this: There’s a well at the bottom of your windshield where the motor mechanism for the wipers resides and it has filled with sleet or snow and has frozen. The wipers move after the air temperature increases because the ice melts and frees up the mechanism to do its thing. My car has the same issue (the first vehicle I’ve had with that problem) so when I park after driving around in sleet, snow or slush, I scoop out the muck. QUESTION: I’m going to try to sell my car. My dad is e-mailing all kinds of advice about what to do to get top dollar. It makes sense to do most of it, but I don’t understand his recommendation that I top off the oil and coolants and other fluids. It’s not much of an expense, but I just don’t understand. ANSWER: Doing what Dad suggests accomplishes two things. First, it ensures that you’ve gone through a checklist and double-checked all the levels. It’d be pretty bad if someone looking at your car popped the hood, stuck the dipstick down and found the oil a quart low. That person would assume you’re burning oil, so there would be no sale, or that you’ve been lax with oil changes and maintenance, possibly resulting in long-term damage, so there would be no sale. Checking all levels reduces the chance that something embarrassing (and deal-busting) happens. When a potential buyer opens the hood and sees that fluid levels are right where they should be, there’s some psychological comfort. The assumption is that you haven’t let maintenance slide, thereby reducing the buyer’s chance of getting slammed with a future repair cost. What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email Sharon@ctwfeatures.com.