With the weather dropping below freezing and the season’s tidings growing ever merrier now is the time to be looking for ways to keep you and your vehicle ready for these winter months ahead. Keep an eye out for more articles on ways to help from buying a vehicle to keeping your vehicle in top shape. Below we'll look at the best practices to winterize your vehicle.
Tires
With the way winters have been here in recent years, not a lot of predictability, you have two great options for the tires you’ll want to have for those cold months. One is your standard all weather tires, the next being winter tires. Winter tires are especially suited for frigid conditions and the snow/ice that accumulates. Winter tires are made to not harden in those frigid conditions and offer better traction through the snow, ice, and slush. This'll be best to make sure your vehicle is winterized.
Your tire pressure can change quite frequently during winter as cold air comes in and rolls back out. Its best to keep a closer eye, every change of 10 degrees can mean you’ll gain or lose 1 PSI in your tires. Keep an eye more often than you would during the warmer months to make sure your tires are in the best shape they can be in. The info you’ll need can be found conveniently in your door jam or your owner’s manual.
Outside Protection
With winter, and more often than not autumn, comes snow. If your regular windshield wipers always seem to accumulate much more ice than they should reasonably be doing, I know mine do, then it’d be worthwhile to look out for winter windshield wipers. They come equipped with some hefty rubber that keeps them from picking up all that ice you’ll find on your regular wipers. Remember to take them off in the spring as that rubber adds some weight, its best to give your wiper motors a break when the warmer months come back to us.
All the dirt and salt that gets dragged up in winter can have an unsavory effect on your vehicle’s beautiful paint, metal, and depending on what type of wheels you have, them as well. For the paint, you can help counteract this with a fresh coat of wax before the snow comes around and making sure to wash it regularly when the snows still here. Rust isn’t as big as an issue with modern vehicles, but here in New England it’s still something we need to pay some mind to, make sure to keep your vehicle’s underbody and wheel wells washed regularly to keep the salt from the road from building up. If your vehicle has alloy wheels, it may be a good idea to apply a coat of wax to them to help avoid corrosion and pitting from the rougher road conditions.
Under the Hood
Your battery will take more of a hit during the chilly months ahead. Along with your oil thickening as the temperatures drop, your battery will put out less power than in the warmer months. If you’re having worries about your battery, it’s better to bring it in to have a professional give it a look, it may just need to be recharged. It may also be best for it to be replaced with a battery with higher output, your mechanic will be able to assist with either option, making sure your battery is winterized.
While you can start up and drive with modern vehicles with less worry about pattering and stalling you’d find with older makes and models, it’s still best to allow your vehicle to idle to warm up before taking off. This’ll allow your oil to heat up a bit which will allow it to thin out more and flow more easily through the engine.
Bonus
As we’ve seen, it’s best to be prepared for the cold months ahead. A winter safety kit is one extra way you can be ready should the unforeseen happen. In your winter safety kit you’ll want to have:
- A First Aid Kit
- An Ice Scraper/Snow brush
- A lighter/matches
- Jumper Cables/Jumper Box
- A Bag of Sand/Shovel
- Extra Antifreeze
- Some Extra Warm Clothes (Jacket, Hat, Socks, Boots)
- Some Non-perishable foods/Beverages
- Flashlight/Batteries
The above items will help you stay warm and safe, and get yourself out a pickle should you get stuck in the snow or need to wait out for a tow truck.
To make sure your vehicle is winterized and ready to go feel free to set up an appointment with our service team here! Our service advistors will work with you and our mechanics to make sure that your vehicle will be able to go through the months ahead!
From our family here at North End Motors to yours, stay safe and stay prepared!
The article above is a collection of advice gathered from a variety of sources for actions and practices that can aid in keeping your vehicle in good condition during the winter months. Consumers should pursue a variety of sources, and consult with their own mechanic in the event that service is recommended in the above article, in order to best maintain the safety of their own vehicle. North End Motors Inc. is not to be held liable should the above information be used in any way other than for what it is intended to be, a short introduction to practices that could be carried out on an individual’s vehicle for the winter.
