AAA, Mechanics Busy During Brutal Cold In Massachusetts

QUINCY (CBS) - Cold enough for you? It is for most of our cars. Today was the busiest day in five years for AAA of Massachusetts.

"Most people have a couple of problems with their cars when it gets this cold," says Mary Mcguire of AAA, "first of course are all the dead batteries, but many people can't unlock their doors because the moisture inside has iced up."

Mechanics were busy too, and advising people to have their car batteries and coolant systems checked before it gets down to single digits.

WBZ-TV's Bill Shields reports.

"Most car batteries are good for about four years," says Rick Souza of Pembroke Gulf Service. "But it's quick and cheap to have hem checked for cranking power."

His co-mechanic Stan Pappastratis was examining the anti-freeze of a Buick.

"This hydrometer tells me the coolant is good to minus 40...but you should have it changed every four to five years."

And plumbers and heating specialists have been inundated with calls from homeowners with problems.

"People should keep the temperature fairly constant in their homes," says Kyle Rand of Rand-Handy Oil. "Sometimes they try to save a few bucks by setting he temperature at 70 during the day, then dropping it to 60 when hey go to bed. That's a long time for the heating system to be off...and if there's a cold pocket in the home, it can lead to frozen pipes."