Winter Weather and Your Car, Is It Ready?

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 Maintenance

Now’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 Tires

Go 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 Car

Stranded 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. Try carrying these helpful items in your vehicle:

- 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

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