6 Ways to Maintain Your Vehicle through the Winter

When you’re not enjoying the comfort of your couch and the company of Netflix, you probably do enjoy leaving the house. And in order to do that, you have to take care of your vehicle. When the weather turns cold, it becomes even more important to maintain your vehicle. If your car breaks down during the summer, it’s inconvenient. But if it breaks down in the winter, the situation is dangerous.

Here are 6 ways to maintain your vehicle through the Winter months:

Start with general vehicle maintenance.

You should already be checking your oil and antifreeze levels. Make sure that all of your car lights are functioning correctly–a working brake light could save your life. Inspect your tire tread for irregular wear and foreign objects. The lifespan of your windshield wipers is only about six months to a year, so switch them out if you haven’t recently. You can also learn more about maintaining your windshield wipers in a previous blog post.

Check your tire pressure.

When the weather gets cold, your tire pressure drops. Low tires are subject to greater road wear than properly filled tires. Low tires also cause low fuel economy (which means you’ll be spending even more money at the gas station). The correct tire pressure for your vehicle is printed on the door pillar. Save your tires to save on gas!

Keep your tank full.

Don’t be one of those people who is convinced they know their car SO well when the fuel gauge is on empty. If it isn’t filled with fuel, condensation can collect in your tank. And while water is great for humans, it’s not so great for fuel systems. Also, that terrible, halting sputter that your vehicle will make if you run out of gas is heartbreaking. Trust us.

Take a driving course.

Winter wonderlands are magical until you lose control of your vehicle on black ice. If you live in a snow globe, it may be helpful to take a driving course specifically focused on cold weather driving. It’s a joke around the Triad area, and in North Carolina in general, that when it snows, we have to shut everything down because no one knows how to drive in the snow. And it’s true because we really don’t run into it more than two or three times per year. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take the time to improve those skills and keep your car safe when you get stuck out in a NC blizzard.

Take your vehicle in for any maintenance you can’t perform on your own.

There are few things more embarrassing than accepting help from your questionable neighbor because you didn’t realize that your battery was faulty. So take your vehicle to a trusted mechanic. He/she can inspect the condition of your battery, engine belt/s, brake pads, spark plugs, and other essentials. It’s also a good idea to take care of your auto glass by repairing any cracks and looking for other damage, which you can do by calling us here at Taylor Auto Glass. You can learn more about how auto glass repair and replacement becomes more difficult in the winter months so you can see why it is best to take care of any damage before the temperatures drop too much!

Pack an emergency kit.

Things happen. It doesn’t matter if you’re the poster child for car maintenance; a deer in the headlights can leave you stranded on the side of the road. Pack a first aid kit, water, granola bars, blankets, a tool kit, and a flashlight. Keep these items in your vehicle at all times. Do not eat the granola bars on your way to work – a rumbling tummy is not an emergency.

If you want more tips on what to keep in your Winter Vehicle Emergency Kit, click here for a free checklist.

Prevention and preparation seem like a waste of time until you find yourself in a pickle. Your vehicle can only do so much on its own. It is your responsibility to keep it running suitably and safely as the seasons change.