October is Fall car care month because it’s the perfect time to get your car ready for winter. Depending on your location, the winter months can be brutal and cause car owners lots of headaches. The car needs to be dug out of the snow, needs to avoid parking bans and snow plows at all costs, and often gets that dirty, grimy look. It’s just not fun. There’s already enough car related stresses to worry about in the winter that you don’t want a break down to be one more.
Here are 7 Fall car care tips to get your car ready for winter:
Fix a Tiny Problem
So your car has recently taken a few tries to start or is making a funny noise that you can’t place. While these don’t seem like huge issues worth spending money on right now, you will be kicking yourself when you are left stranded in the break down lane when the temperature is below freezing. A tiny problem now will usually turn into a bigger problem in the future if it’s ignored.
Check the Cooling System
Cars don’t only overheat during the summer months! If necessary, have the cooling system flushed and refilled.
Check the Heater and Defroster
For both comfort and safety purposes, it’s absolutely essential that these features be working properly during the winter. A defroster keeps the windows clear of snow and ice. Driving without 100% visibility is dangerous.
Replace Windshield Wipers
If the wipers are old or worn out, spend the money on new ones. Winter gives your wipers a workout. Think about it. It takes a lot more out of a blade to push snow and ice from side to side than it takes to push the rain away. You might even want to spend a little extra on special winter blades that can fight the ice.
Fill Windshield Washer Fluid
This will certainly need to be done more than once. All of that salt and dirt from the plows will continually end up on your windshield, limiting visibility and leaving a dirty mess.
Check Tires
Check the pressure and tread of your tires to make sure they are winter-ready. It’s one thing to drive with worn tires on dry pavement. Driving with worn tires on icy and wet surfaces on a daily basis is another story altogether.
Create a Winter Emergency Kit
You should have an emergency kit in your car throughout the year, but a winter kit will include a few extra essentials like gloves, boots, blankets, a shovel, and dirt or kitty litter. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.