With winter just around the corner, now’s the time to get your car prepared for the cold months ahead. If it rains and snows where you live, you’ll have to take a few extra steps to winterize your vehicle. Doing so helps ensure the safety of both you and your family. It also means you know your car will continue to perform in top condition no matter how stormy it gets. Here are a few tips on preparing your car for the winter months.
Pack a Winter Supply Box
You never want to get stranded in your car, especially during a storm. However, just in case the roads get closed, you slip off of the road, or get stuck in a blizzard, you’ll want to have a box of emergency supplies in your car. Keep bottles of water, healthy snacks, blankets, and extra flashlight batteries in your winter supply box. Make sure to also keep portable or rechargeable hand warmers available to stay warm in case you can’t run the heater in your car.
As an extra safety measure, consider getting LED road flares to alert other drivers that you need assistance. If you need to get out of your vehicle when it’s dark, slip a glow-in-the-dark safety vest on so other drivers can see you.
A small bag of sand can help with traction if you’re stuck, and an ice scraper gives you greater visibility if your windshield or windows ice up. Keep coloring books or other items to keep the kids entertained in case you’re in one spot for a long time. Keep a first-aid kit in your supply box as well, and make sure your cell phone charger works so you can keep your phone charged at all times.
Things to Keep in Your Car During Winter
- A blanket. In case you need to stay extra warm.
- Nonperishable snacks and bottled water. You need to stay fed and hydrated.
- Flashlight and batteries. When it’s dark out you want to have a flashlight in case you have to look under the hood or put chains on your car.
- Portable phone charger. If you can’t run the car to keep your phone charged, keep a portable battery-operated one with you. Your charged cell phone helps you stay in touch with your family and roadside assistance.
- Windshield washer fluid. You need to keep your windshield clear at all times for visibility so keep washer fluid, especially the type that can help to de-ice the windshield in your car to refill the reservoir.
- Antifreeze. In case you get a leak in the cooling system, add antifreeze to the radiator to keep the engine from freezing.
- Folding shovel. A shovel can help you if you need to dig yourself out of a snowdrift.
- Jumper cables. If your battery dies, use jumper cables hooked to another car to start your battery.
- Gloves, warm boots, and winter clothing. You need these items in case you have to walk to get help or if you’re stranded for any length of time.
- Road flares. When it’s dark and you’re stuck, put road flares, hazard triangles, reflectors, or LED flashers outside of your car to alert other drivers.
- Rock salt, sand, or kitty litter. The grit in these items can help give you traction on ice.
- Strong rope or chain. A rope or chain attached to another vehicle can help give you a tug to get moving in case you’re stuck in snow or mud.
- Ice scraper and snow brush. During a storm, use the ice scraper to remove ice build-up on your windows, and the snow brush to sweep excess snow off of the hood and top of your vehicle.
- Tire chains. Tire chains give you extra traction to drive through snow, ice, or mud.
- First aid kit. Keep basics such as bandages, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, eyewash, and hand warmers in the kit.
Switch to Winter Tires
Tires provide traction and when the roads get slippery, you’ll want good winter tires to help with grip. Winter tires have a softer material that allows the tread of the tire to grip the road’s surface better. Tires made specifically for snow have a distinct pattern that helps to disperse the snow from the tread of the tires so you’ll always have traction. If you want a set of winter tires, our experts can help you choose the best tires for your vehicle and install them for you.
Check Your Tire Pressure
If you choose not to swap out your tires, it’s especially important to make sure the tire pressure is correct for the temperature. As the temperature plummets, so does the pressure in the tires. The lower the psi, the less traction your tires have. It’s important to keep the proper tire pressure throughout the winter.
Winter Grade Oil
Your car’s engine needs lubricating oil to keep it cool and performing at peak condition. As the weather gets colder, engine oil tends to thicken, and the oil can’t lubricate the engine sufficiently. This is why you need oil with a thinner viscosity when the temperatures really start to drop. Your owner’s manual will have a recommendation for the grade of oil you need. Alternatively, we can put the right grade in your car when you schedule an oil change with us.
Warm the Car’s Engine
It’s important to give the oil a chance to circulate throughout the engine before driving it. You can easily do this by starting your car and simply let it sit for a few minutes before you take off. You don’t have to give the car full throttle; just let it idle naturally. You can even download the FordPass app to remotely start your car from the warmth of your home.
Get the Right Windshield Fluid and Blades
Just as you need a different grade of oil for the engine, you also need different windshield washer fluid. Special winter fluids won’t freeze on the windshield, and in some cases, they can actually help to loosen ice from the windshield.
New wiper blades are just as important. The rubber on your car wiper blades can crack and fray when the temperature drops, so make sure you have new blades before the storms hit.
Maintain Your Car
When you get into your car, you want to know that it’s going to start and run smoothly regardless of the weather. Bring your car in for a pre-winter maintenance check so we can make sure the belts and hoses don’t have cracks or breaks. We’ll also inspect and replace bulbs and fuses and make sure the seals in your car won’t let exhaust fumes in. During your inspection, you may also want to observe the brakes, check the brake and transmission fluid, and make sure your starting system works at peak performance.
Have Your Battery Checked
The last thing you want on a cold winter morning is a dead car battery. Colder temperatures can make it more difficult for the battery to start the engine, which causes wear and tear on the battery and the other starting systems. Batteries need the proper amount of fluid to function properly, but it’s not always easy to tell how much to add.
To make sure your car battery is running strong, we can run it through a computerized battery test that will tell you what condition it’s in. If there’s an issue with it, we can replace it so you can feel confident that your car will start under all conditions.
Keep the Gas Tank Full
If you get stuck somewhere and need to keep the engine running to keep the heater going, you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of gas. In addition, the less fuel you have in the tank, the more moisture can build up inside of the tank.
Moisture can dilute the gas and cause problems with the fuel system and other parts. If you live in a really cold climate, the moisture inside the gas tank can potentially freeze, cause rust, and create a host of other problems that can result in major repairs. Filling up on gas regularly can help prevent this from happening.
Give our team at Wendle Ford a call today to schedule an appointment to have your car maintained, your battery checked, and if necessary, your all-season tires swapped for winter ones.
Featured Image via Flickr by Martin
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