Hey guys. Today I called MY Mitsu dealer and asked them about my 08 gts and it having a block heater. They said it probably doesnt and that the car is manufactured to take up to -50 up here in canada. Last winter I toughed it out and the car had a couple sluggish starts. Now chatting with my non-mitsu friends they tell me that is stupid. That doesnt make much sense to me either. My mitsu dealer told me that people only put block heaters in them for self assurance. Anyone fill me in on why I DO and DONT need a block heater. I need a more in depth explanation. much love, jayebird
the dealer told me that same thing but i bought one and put it in anyways. they car may start in that cold of weather but the oil is gonna be a lot thicker and will take longer to reach the top end of the engine which over time will not be good for it. The block heater is only about 116 bucks. they wanted to charge me about an hours labour to put it in tho so i just did it myself it only takes a few minutes.
^^+1 I think this has been discussed in an earlier thread...but in short, It is just a personal assurance thing. My advice is to run a thinner weight oil during the winter months, and swap back to a heavier during Spring/Summer.
Cold starting your car is one of the hardest things you can do to an engine. The oil thickens up when its cold and does not lubricate the motor properly. Running a thinner oil does help with the start but you still have cold oil and the viscosity will thicken up like molasses. A block heater will keep the oil in the pan warm which will help prevent wear mostly on the pistons and the starter. Cold starts are super hard on your cars starter since there is much more resistance with cold oil. My advice would be to put one in.
