Have you prepared your car for the winter weather that’s fast
approaching? Here are some tips to make sure you are fully prepared for
whatever this year’s winter weather decides to throw at you.
Regular MaintenanceNow’s
the time to get your car up to speed on all of its regular maintenance.
That means taking care of any fluids that may have been neglected while
you were out enjoying the summer sun or going in for that 60,000-mile
tune-up if you’re due. Check, change and/or top off your oil, coolant,
brakes and transmission fluid as needed. In the case of your oil or
automatic transmission, make sure you get a high-quality filter, too.
When
looking at your car’s brakes, check to see if your rotors are warped or
cracked. Do they have deep grooves or are the pads worn close to their
minimum clearance? Your vehicle will be experiencing harsher conditions
soon, so avoid any potential problems as soon as possible. Make sure all
your lights are working properly to ensure good visibility. New bulbs
are easy to install yourself or easy to have installed when getting your
vehicle serviced. The same goes for windshield wipers. If your blades
are more than six months old, odds are it’s time to swap them out for
new ones.
Check Your TiresGo ahead and have your
tires rotated and inspected. The last thing you need in cold, wet
weather is to be driving on bald or dry rotted tires.
Consider
looking into snow (or winter) tires, depending on your location or
length of time you’ll be spending in the snow. Winter tires are made
with special low temperature resilient rubber compounds and have deep
treads that grip unplowed snow and ice.
Don’t forget to make sure
your spare tire has enough air in it. Once you’ve made sure everything
looks good, take a look at your tire pressure.
Stock Your CarStranded
by the side of the road can be dangerous in the best of conditions, but
when sub-zero temperatures or bad weather is involved, it could become
deadly. Carrying these supplies is essential:
- a blanket
- jumper cables
- a flashlight
- chains
- a first-aid kit
- a small knife
- flares
- water gloves
- small shovel
- waterproof matches
- ice scraper
- a bag of sand or kitty litter to help provide traction if your car is stuck in the snow