Winter threatens your vehicle with ice, salt, and slush. Since you can’t control the weather, take these steps to care for your car in the winter.
Winter car care you can do yourself
- Use Antifreeze
- Use pre-mixed antifreeze solution for both windshield fluid and cooling system.
- Prevent rust
- Keep your car rust-free. Ask for wax next time you’re at the car wash.
- Maintain a clean interior
- Protect your interior and save difficult clean up by buying winter floor mats
- Keep a full gas tank
- Condensation is created in the inside of an empty or low gas tank during the winter. The water then sinks to the bottom of the tank, which can seriously damage your engine.
- Avoid blow outs
- Cold temperatures can cause tires to lose air more rapidly. Check the tire pressure once a week to avoid potential blow outs.
- Prevent doors from freezing shut
- With a rag, rub WD-40 or cooking spray on your doorframe to keep car doors from freezing shut.
Winter car check at an auto shop
- Battery
- Winter kills weak car batteries. And it’s never convenient for your battery to die.
- Belts and hoses
- Belts and hoses are more likely to break or get holes in freezing temperatures.
- Tires
- You may consider winter tires. Regardless, it’s worth having current tires checked to ensure they don’t cause problems throughout the season.
- Oil
- Different temperatures require different oil.
- Brake system
- Driving on snow and ice is already challenging enough. A weak or faulty brake system is the last thing you need.
You can only hope your car will never become a “carcicle” and freeze to its parking spot!