As the colder weather and shorter days are upon us now, it’s time to pay closer attention to a few critical areas of your car to ensure safe and reliable performance now and into the winter. The service and maintenance you are doing now will help prepare your vehicle for the first actual winter weather.
Awareness and preventative maintenance can ensure that you will spend less on car repairs and avoid the inconvenience and potential hazards of breaking down on the road. You must follow the Vehicle Manufacturer’s mileage-based Maintenance Schedule, and you can find this information in your Owner’s Manual or through several other sources.
Here are some general guidelines (in order of priority) to help you prepare for winter driving:
1. Battery, Starting, and Charging System: You can’t get there if your car doesn’t start, so a comprehensive check of your battery is a good thing to do now. It is also an excellent time to check all of your lights and signals as we find ourselves driving to and from work in the dark.
2. Oil and Other Critical Fluids: Check your oil level, and based on mileage, check to see if you are due for an oil change. An oil change service should be more than just new oil and a filter. All of the fluids, including transmission, coolant, power steering, and (if applicable) differential fluid, should be checked at this time.
3. Tires: Tread depth and inflation pressure must be set to the manufacturer’s specification (found on the door sticker) and checked and adjusted when the tires are cold. This is VERY IMPORTANT for safe vehicle operation as tires will go down about 1 lb for every 10 degrees of temperature shift in the cold weather and up as it gets warmer.
All of these things can be checked in a basic service for most cars. Your technician can provide you with specific advice on any aspect of proper seasonal car maintenance. Better to plan for repairs than to be surprised with a big repair bill. Be Car Care Aware and enjoy the fall and winter seasons.
ETD Discount Tire Centers provide the information in Car Care Aware. For more car care and tire safety information, visit www.etddiscounttire.com.
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