Winter / ReadyCold-start service · Thunder Bay, Ontario
Batteries / Block heaters / Remote starters
Starts first time at −35.
Battery tests, block heaters, winter tune-ups and remote starters for Northwestern Ontario winters — done before the first cold snap, so the car starts on the morning it matters.
Drag the thermometer down. As the morning gets colder the battery loses strength, the engine asks for more of it, and one by one the five things a winter check looks after start to matter.
Outside temperature
−35°C
+100−10−20−30−40
+5 °C−10 °C−20 °C−35 °C
Above −5 °C
Starts on any healthy battery.
Cold enough for winter tires and winter washer fluid. Everything else can wait for the first real snap.
−5 to −20 °C
A tired battery cranks slowly.
This is where a battery that tested fine in summer gives up. A load test takes ten minutes, and it’s free.
−20 to −30 °C
Plug in, or don’t count on it.
The battery has well under half its strength and the engine needs twice the power to turn. Plug in the block heater two to three hours before you leave.
Below −30 °C
Only a ready car starts first time.
A strong battery, a working block heater and the right oil are the difference between leaving on time and waiting for a boost.
0102030405
Battery strength20%
Power the engine needs345%
Rule-of-thumb figures for a healthy battery and a cold engine; the line marks a warm morning’s 100%. An old battery starts lower.
01Battery & chargingNow
A load test of the battery, the alternator and the starter. A battery that is fine in October can be 40% weaker on a January morning, so we test it against the cold-cranking amps it was sold on.
02Block heaterNow
The element, the cord and the plug checked for cracks and the draw tested — or a heater installed. Plug it in two to three hours before you leave whenever it is below −15 °C.
03Wipers & washer fluidNow
Winter blades that don’t freeze into a club, and the reservoir filled with fluid rated to −40 °C. Summer fluid turns to slush at the first frost.
04Remote starterNow
Ten minutes of idling from the kitchen window: a warm cabin, a clear windshield, and an engine that isn’t asked for full power from stone cold.
05Winter tiresNow
Below 7 °C an all-season tire hardens and grips less. Winter tires stay soft at −40, stop shorter on ice, and go on their own rims in about forty minutes.
[02]Services & prices
The winter board.
Every price posted before we pick up a tool, in Canadian dollars before HST. Most winter work is done the same morning.
CodeServicePriceStatus
WN-01Winter check45 min · battery, block heater, coolant, wipers, tires and lights$89
WN-02Battery load test10 min · the printout goes in your gloveboxFree
WN-03Battery, installed20 min · cold-cranking amps matched to your carfrom $189
WN-04Block heater, installed2–3 h · element, cord and a plug at the grillefrom $249
WN-05Block heater cord30 min · replaced when it’s cracked or stiff$45
WN-06Remote starter, two-way4 h · up to 1.5 km of range, vehicle-specific harnessfrom $549
WN-07Winter tire swap40 min · on rims, balanced, pressures set$79
WN-08Coolant service1 h · flushed and refilled, protected to −40 °C$149
WN-09Battery blanket45 min · a warming pad for cars parked outside$129
WN-10No-start diagnosis1 h · a slow crank, a click, or nothing at all$119
[03]The season
When to book what.
Thunder Bay’s average daily temperature, month by month — and what to have done before each one arrives.
Sep
Book remote starters
Installs within the week now; by November the wait is three.
Oct
Winter checks open
Battery, block heater, coolant and wipers — before the first frost.
Nov
Winter tires on
Swap before the snow that stays. The rush starts the week it falls.
Dec
First deep cold
The week batteries fail. Free load tests, walk-ins welcome.
Jan
The coldest month
Same-day no-start help, and plug-in posts for overnight drop-offs.
Feb
Cords & blankets
Cracked heater cords and tired batteries, fixed while you wait.
Mar
Salt & potholes
An alignment check and an underbody rinse before the thaw.
Apr
Summer tires back
Winters washed, checked for wear and stored until the fall.
[04]How a winter check works
In at 7:30. Ready by lunch.
07:30
Dropped off, plugged in
Leave it at a plug-in post by the door with the key in the slot — or wait in the warm room with a coffee.
07:45
Tested cold
The battery is tested before the car warms up, then the block heater, coolant, charging system, wipers and tires.
09:00
A call with prices
What passed, what didn’t, and what each fix costs. Nothing is done without your yes.
11:30
Pick up the printout
Every reading on one sheet in your glovebox, and a car ready for the coldest morning of the year.
Northstar Winter AutoWinter check · printout
2014 Honda CR-V · 186,400 km
Battery650 CCA rated · 612 measuredPass
Charging system14.2 V at idle, no drainPass
Block heater400 W element · cord crackedReplace cord
Prices in Canadian dollars, before HST. Larger trucks and diesels may cost more; you’ll know before we start. Every repair carries our 24-month / 40,000 km warranty.
[06]Cold-morning log
Started first time.
4.9
from 520 Google reviews
2017 Ford Escape · Jan 14 · −36 °C
Minus thirty-six and the whole street was waiting for boosts. Mine started first time — they’d replaced a cracked block heater cord in October that I’d never have noticed.
Marie L.
2012 Chevrolet Silverado · Dec 3 · −29 °C
The battery tested fine in summer and died the first cold week. They had me in at 7:30, load-tested it, and had a new one in before I finished my coffee.
Tyler B.
2020 Toyota RAV4 · Feb 2 · −31 °C
The remote starter is the best money I’ve spent on this car. Ten minutes from the kitchen window and the windshield is clear by the time I get my boots on.
Anjali S.
2009 Dodge Grand Caravan · Nov 18 · −22 °C
They told me my tires had one more winter in them instead of selling me new ones. Swapped, balanced and stored in forty minutes.
Ron K.
[07]The crew
Three people who like the cold.
TECH 01
Erik Lindqvist
Owner · ASE Master Technician
Grew up in Kenora fixing cars that had to start. He opened Northstar in 2008 to get them ready before the cold instead of after. Coldest call-out: −41 °C.
TECH 02
Danielle Chee
Electrical & remote starters
Wires every remote starter on a vehicle-specific harness and tests it from the far end of the lot. Has never cut a factory wire she didn’t have to.
TECH 03
Sam Oduya
Tires & batteries
Runs the tire machine through the November rush and load-tests every battery that comes in — about forty a day in December.
Winter sets, waiting for NovemberEvery battery load-tested, not guessedLit until the last car leavesStored sets, tagged by plate
[08]Visit
Plug it in at the door.
1450 Copper Street, Thunder Bay, OntarioSix plug-in posts at the door
Overnight drop-offSix plug-in posts by the door, each with an outlet. Plug it in and drop the key in the slot.
Warm waiting roomCoffee, Wi-Fi and a window onto the bays. Most winter checks are done in under an hour.
RidesA courtesy ride anywhere in the city on longer jobs, between 8 and 4.
[09]Questions
Cold questions.
Q01When should I plug in the block heater?
Below about −15 °C. Two to three hours before you leave is plenty, and a plug-in timer saves power. We check the cord and the element in every winter check.
Q02Will a remote starter affect my warranty?
Not when it is installed properly. We use vehicle-specific harnesses instead of cutting into factory wiring, and the install is written up on your invoice.
Q03How do I know if my battery will make it through winter?
Have it load-tested — it takes ten minutes and it’s free. A battery older than four years, or one that cranks slowly on the first frosty morning, is the one to watch.
Q04Do I really need winter tires?
Below 7 °C an all-season tire hardens and its grip falls away; winter tires stay soft and stop much shorter on ice. Most Ontario insurers also give a discount for them.
Q05Can I drop the car off the night before?
Yes. Plug it in at one of the posts by the door and drop the key in the slot. We start on it at 7:30 and call you with the results.
Q06What oil should I use for winter?
The grade your owner’s manual asks for. On most newer cars that is already a 0W synthetic that flows well at −35 °C, and we never swap it for something thicker.
Q07Do you help with cars that won’t start?
On cold mornings we keep the 7 to 10 am slots for no-starts. Call us; if it needs a tow, we arrange it.
[10]Book
Book your winter check.
Tell us the car and what you’d like done before the cold sets in. We’ll call back to confirm a time — and again before any work you haven’t approved.
