With winter weather looming ahead, it is important to make sure you and your car are prepared for whatever the cold may bring with it. Winterizing your car is going to be a sure way to help mitigate a lot of the risks that often come with driving in winter weather.
Starting out by going through a maintenance checklist to ensure the peak performance of your car is the best way to prep for winter.
Seek Out the Professionals
Going to your mechanic and getting your car serviced for winterization is going to give you a head start for the work you can be doing at home and day to day to keep you safe and prepared for winter driving. The systems you are going to want to get checked out include: your battery, cooling system, brakes, and the smaller, moving parts of your engine and electrical systems.
Your battery’s life changes with the incoming cold weather due to its effects on the electrochemical make-up of a car battery. The power of your battery will drop as the cold weather sets in, meaning an increased risk of breaking down. Look into getting a new battery, especially if you live in an area known for harsher winter weather. However, if that is not an option, be prepared with jumper cables or a jump starter and a winter emergency kit.
Though winter weather doesn’t necessarily cause extra harm to your breaks, getting them checked and replacing any worn-out parts will help provide you with the safest braking while for the more hazardous weather.
Winter Tires
Making sure you have proper winter tires is going to provide you the best performance possible in winter weather. This is especially important if you live in areas that are known for their more extreme cold and hazardous weather. Winter tires resist hardening in the cold and will provide better traction in the snow, ice, and slush.
Along with winter tires, making sure your tire pressure is kept at the appropriate level.
Protecting the Inside and Outside
Your car will come into contact with snow, ice, gravel, and sand throughout the winter. These coarse particles can damage the finish on your car, which puts your car at risk for rusting. Making sure that you get a fresh wax before driving in the winter weather will help provide an extra seal of protection against these conditions.
To protect the inside of your car, consider getting winterized floor mats. They are relatively inexpensive just to get a pair to protect the carpet of your car. However, to really make sure you’re taking the best care of the inside of your vehicle, consider all-weather floormats to protect the carpet and floorboards.
Properly winterizing your vehicle will make a difference in its ability to keep you safe, its overall performance, and its longevity. Make an appointment to make sure everything is running smoothly with your vehicle before we get too deep into winter. Stop by Brown Motor Works for all your auto maintenance and repair needs. Schedule an appointment today!