CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mechanics are busy at the AAA car care center off Albemarle Road in Charlotte fixing vehicles that have fallen victim to the cold weather.
“Any extreme temperature will bring out problems,” lead mechanic Jason Karp said.
Jose Bermubez brought in his daughter’s car to be checked out as she’s making the long, cold drive back to college this week.
“We want to be sure the car is doing good,” Bermubez said.
Karp said the most common problem when the temperatures dip is car batteries malfunctioning. His team uses a special machine to test them.
“This is a good recharge. The fact that it needs a slight recharge might be the early signs of something, or it might mean that the battery worked really hard to start the engine this morning,” he explained after testing a battery.
AAA officials said the company saw a 10 percent spike Tuesday morning over the usual number of drivers who needed a jump or even a new battery.
They also said overall calls related to batteries went up 31 percent from Dec. 27.
Karp says the one thing people can check on their own is their tire pressure. He explained that tires can lose about a pound of pressure every time temperatures drop 10 degrees.
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