Frequently asked questions
About the gear, and about this site. The short answers, with links to the pages that go further.
Do you actually test the products you recommend?
No, and we say so on every roundup. We do not own this gear, there is no lab and no test garage. What we do instead is compile the published specifications from each manufacturer, read the manuals, and do the arithmetic on running costs and what a product prevents — with every figure linked to where it was published. The full method is here.
How does Frost & Fender make money?
Affiliate commission. We participate in the Amazon Associates program and earn from qualifying purchases made through our links, at no extra cost to you. There are no sponsored placements, no paid rankings and no free products, because we do not accept any. The full disclosure is here.
Why are there no customer reviews or testimonials on this site?
Because we have no customers to quote, and a fabricated testimonial is worse than an empty section. The scores you see are our own editorial judgment, they are visible on the page, and they never appear in the structured data as a product rating.
Why do some prices say 'check price' instead of showing a number?
Because we hold no verified live price for that product at that moment. Prices come from a data feed with a 48-hour freshness limit, and past that the number disappears rather than going stale. A wrong price is worse than no price, both for you and for us.
How often is the content updated?
Prices refresh daily and automatically. Roundups are reviewed in full every August and September, before the season. Calculators are reviewed annually and whenever the cited electricity rate source updates. The visible “last updated” date on a page changes only when the content actually changed — a price refresh is not an edit.
I think something here is wrong. What do you do about it?
Fix it, in place, with a dated note saying what changed. We do not edit silently. Corrections are the most useful mail we get, so please do send them.
If I only spend $50 this winter, what should I buy?
A gallon of winter-rated washer fluid (about $6, and it prevents the only genuinely dangerous failure on this list), a windshield cover (about $25, saves roughly four minutes on every frosted morning), and a set of universal rubber floor mats (about $25, keeps salt out of the carpet padding).
What is the single cheapest thing that saves the most money?
For a garage, a door bottom seal at about $30 — it cuts the heat a garage needs by roughly a factor of five on the standard sizing formula. For a car, a mid-winter underbody wash at two dollars a time, which removes more salt from the places that matter than any product we sell links to.
Do I need a garage heater?
Probably not until you have sealed the door. A garage with a gap under the door cannot be heated economically, and the sizing formula shows the difference is roughly five-fold. Put your own numbers into the calculator before you shop — and check whether you have a 240-volt circuit, because most capable heaters need one.
Are expensive floor mats worth it over cheap ones?
Most of the value is in the first $25: a waterproof barrier between wet boots and the carpet padding, which is what rusts floor pans. Above that you are buying exact fit, better edge coverage and, at the top, walls that contain a bootful of snow. The comparison is here.
Do I need tire chains?
For most drivers, no. Chains earn their place if you cross a chain-control road, or if there is a specific situation you can name — an unplowed steep driveway, a rural road the plow reaches a day late. The honest version of this question is here, and it tells most readers to spend the money elsewhere.
Is a battery maintainer worth it?
If you have power where you park, yes. It runs for about three dollars across a whole winter and it stops the failure that strands most people — a battery running at a chronic charge deficit from short winter trips. The picks are here.
Should I cover my car in winter?
If it is stored, yes. If you drive it daily and park outside, usually not — almost nobody sustains fitting a full cover twice a day, and putting one on a wet salty car traps moisture and grit against the paint. A windshield cover gets most of the daily benefit for twenty seconds of effort. Both sides of it are here.
What actually causes cars to rust in winter?
Salt, in two places. On the paint it is largely cosmetic. Underneath it collects in box sections, seam welds and the insides of rocker panels — places that never dry and never get washed — where it keeps metal wet because salt is hygroscopic. The full mechanism and the routine are here.
Why does my car battery die every January?
Two things happen at once: the cold reduces the battery’s available cranking power, and thick cold oil makes the engine harder to turn. Underneath both, short winter trips with the heater and defroster running often leave the battery at a chronic partial charge all season. The full explanation is here.
Will a snow brush scratch my paint?
It can, and the culprit is the grit in the snow rather than the brush by itself. A closed-cell foam head does not hold grit against the clear coat the way bristles do, and pushing rather than scrubbing matters as much as the tool. The technique is here.
Can I pour warm water on a frozen windshield?
No. Thermal shock on cold glass cracks windshields, and it is the most common way people do it. Use the defroster, a spray de-icer, or a cover the night before. The methods that work are here.
Do you cover winter tires?
Only as context. Winter tires are the genuinely correct answer to winter traction, and they are a $600-plus considered purchase that sits outside what this site is for. We cover chains and snow socks as the budget alternative and we are honest that they are not equivalent.
Something not answered here?
Ask us. Questions that come up more than once end up on this page.