It’s time to prepare your vehicle for winter, here are just a few things you can do now to save yourself costly repairs later. Winter means shorter days, reduced visibility, increased foggy conditions, rain, and sometimes snow. Winter driving can be dangerous. Taking winter preparedness steps means increased safety for you and your family. With these steps you will be ready to brave the road this season:
Winter Preparedness Guide:
You’ll want to make sure to check on these things;
Check your battery
You may need a new battery soon, and the worst way to find out why is when you are trying to start your car on a cold morning. The cooler temperatures can strain your battery.
Checking on your tire pressure
Air pressure can fluctuate with the temperature and you need to be sure that yours are properly inflated. If you don’t already, you should get in the habit of checking your tire pressure regularly, every week if you can. Improperly filled tires will use more gas per mile.
Get your brakes checked
You’ll probably find yourself braking more with the inclement conditions, so make sure they’re working properly
Maintenance must-dos
In addition to checks, here are some maintenance winter preparedness must-do’s to make sure your car is ready to get you where you need to go this season:
Winterize your fluids
Consider using brake, coolant, and window washing fluid designed with antifreeze for freezing temperatures.
Rotate your tires and check tire tread
This will ensure that your tires have enough tread in the right places so that you stop when you want to stop.
Replace your windshield wipers
Or get a backup set to make sure you can see where you’re going. The freezing temperatures make the wipers brittle and render them useless.
It’s also a great idea to consider stocking up on these;
- You might need a second set of tires, even a set of snow tires depending on what area you live in. Hoping you can take advantage of a sale, you will beat any crowds or delays once winter is in full swing.
- Try not to let your gas get too low. You never know how long things are going to take when the roads get icy
- Make a winter emergency kit-think blankets, mittens, socks, a hat, an ice scraper, flashlight with extra batteries, first aid kit, toiletries, swiss army knife and non-perishable food. It doesn’t need to be bigger than a gallon size ziploc bag.
Winter preparedness is key to staying safe this winter. Schedule your regular maintenance with Beetlesmith’s Valley Auto today, so that we can help you identify which things need to be done for your car, and which ones can wait. We’d love to help get you road ready for winter.
