Frigid temperatures tough on outdoor workers and cars

By Maurielle Lue
Fox 2 News

DETROIT (WJBK) -- Most people can't work if the can't feel their face, hands and feet.  Shortness of breath and intense body aches usually warrants a sick call.  But it's part of the job for thousands of metro Detroiters who make a living outside no matter how low the temps go.

"It's hard to breathe.  My ears are freezing," says James Walsh.  "Fingers are getting numb and toes."

"It's really cold," says Naz Huda with Old Time Parking.  "I've got about three, four jackets on."

In Campus Maritus there is work to be done.  The holidays are over and the Christmas tree is coming down, but it's a real tree so workers are cutting it down one branch at a time.

"Start from the bottom and work our way up, and then once we get all the branches off... our climbing expert... he's been lowering the big sections, cutting them and lowering them," a worker says.

Tuesday morning was the coldest in Detroit in about two years.  Sub zero temps just barely hit double digits in the afternoon.  The chill not good for your body or your car.

Wetmore Tire is in full drive when the temps drop.

"We've had two cars towed in this morning already with dead batteries.  So if they would've had them checked earlier, it would've been much better for them," says Christopher Lynch.

Caring for your car year round is the best way to prevent a break down in a deep freeze.  When it's this cold, waiting until the last minute could cost you.

"Batteries, especially in wintertime and [during] hot [times], can be a problem.  They need to be periodically checked and load tested, make sure all the connections are clean, so there's no problem in starting your car, especially when it's cold because the cold weather just zaps the power out of a battery," Lynch explains.

In most states, batteries in a car last five to six years.  In Michigan, the average life of a battery is only four years because of extremely cold days.

You will also want to remember to check your car's tire pressure.