Car Buried by the Plow? A Calm Way to Dig It Out
Street parking in Toronto has one big winter downside: the city plow passes by and packs a wall of heavy snow against your car. Here is how to get it out without damage or a strained back.
Start with the exhaust pipe
Before you start the engine, clear the snow away from the tailpipe. A blocked exhaust can push carbon monoxide into the cabin while the car warms up.
Brush, don't scrape, the paint
Use a soft snow brush or a foam broom on the roof, hood and trunk. Metal shovels and ice scrapers leave scratches. Clear the roof completely: a sheet of snow sliding onto the windshield at the first stop is dangerous for you and for the driver behind.
Free the wheels, then the path
- Dig out the snow in front of and behind each tire, down to the road.
- Chip away packed ice under the bumpers so the car does not drag on it.
- Cut a path at least a car-width wide to the open lane, not just a groove for the tires.
If the tires spin
Straighten the wheel, use the lowest gear and press the gas gently. Sand, kitty litter or the car's floor mats under the drive wheels give grip. Rocking hard back and forth overheats the transmission.
When to call for help
A car frozen into a plow ridge can take an hour of hard work. If you are short on time or the snow is heavy and wet, our crew brushes off the car, frees the wheels and opens a lane to the street, normally arriving inside sixty minutes.
Keep reading: The plow ridge at your driveway · Shovelling without injury · Icicles and roof snow