5 Simple Winter Car Care Tips: The Winter Checklist
Check your tires
When the temperature drops by 10 degrees, the car tire’s pressure drops by one pound per square inch. This is why it is necessary to check your car pressure quite regularly and inflate them whenever necessary. For this purpose, you will need to keep your tire gauge handy and accessible at all times. You could also decide to get winter tires, these are tires designed for use on snow and ice, as the name implies. They are designed to reduce traction and stay soft during the winter.
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Check your battery
According to Crown Battery, during the winter, car batteries perform below average and poorly due to the low temperatures. As a matter of fact, car batteries lose power as soon as the temperature drops below 32°F (0°C), and worse still, they lose half their power when the temperature drops below 0°F (-18°C). If you are not observant, your car may break down somewhere on the road. Make sure you inspect your battery as often as you can, look out for corrosion, and keep an eye out for the electrical components. If you don’t know how to inspect a battery properly, you should consult a professional to ensure it is in good condition and can handle the colder temperatures.
Check your windshield wipers and fluid
When you are on the road in the winter, visibility is extremely crucial. This implies that you have to make sure your windshield wipers are in perfect condition and that you have enough windshield wiper fluid. There are winter-specific wiper fluids that are designed to perform excellently in the winter and we would recommend getting one for your windshield if you truly want to winterize a car. These fluids are typically of a higher concentration of methyl alcohol than the regular windshield wiper fluids.
Check your lights
Your lights play a major role when using your car in the winter. To be on the safe side, make sure your lights are all working properly. From your headlights, to taillights, and turn signals. This will help you see and be seen while you are on the road, but it will also help you avoid getting pulled over for a ticket.
Check your antifreeze
Antifreeze is one substance that you should prioritize in the winter. Your car’s coolant system prevents the engine from freezing in cold temperatures. Make sure you have the right mix of antifreeze and water in your system to ensure that the engine can handle the colder temperatures. This mix is usually from 50/50 or 70/30 of antifreeze to water. It is recommended that before any ratio is used, you must get expert advice from a technician or auto repair shop.
These are the top five winter care tips that you must prioritize once it’s the winter season. Other ways to winterize a car include:
Keep your fuel tank at least half full
If you don’t want your fuel line freezing with the drop in temperature, then you’d better keep your fuel tank at least half full. Sometimes, if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere, you may need your engine to keep you warm before help arrives. This implies that having your fuel tank at least half full may end up saving your life in cases of emergencies.
Pack an emergency kit
It is usually and frequently advisable to include a small first aid/emergency kit that includes items that could come in handy if you were caught in a sticky situation and trapped in snow. The winter car care emergency kit should include items such as a flashlight, warm blanket, snacks, a tire pressure gauge, tire inflator, ice scraper, gloves, brush, blankets, water, your cell phone, travel charger, triangle reflector kit, and a small shovel in case you get stranded in bad weather.
Keep your car clean
Keeping your car clean is one of the easiest methods that helps a vehicle when it snows and when the temperature is low. Whether it is sunny or snowy, it is always a good idea to give your vehicle regular washes. When winter comes, your vehicle accumulates lots of snow in so many parts and you must take your time to entirely get all of it out. It not only helps with visibility on the road, but also helps to protect your car’s exterior from rust and corrosion.
Keep your windows clear
In this article, we highlighted the importance of using good wipers and wiper fluids on the windshields. With a de-icing solution, you can keep your windows as clear as possible. Take note that the process of cleaning your car windows in the winter is basically the same as every other regular day but the difference is using the perfect solution while cleaning. To clean the window, you could also dilute windshield washing solution with water. Another effective technique for cleaning windows in the wintertime is rubbing alcohol mixed with water and a few drops of liquid dishwashing solution.
Get a winter car cover
Winter car covers protect vehicles from the harsh weather conditions experienced in the winter season. Whether it is inside a garage or outside, you should try to keep your vehicle covered whenever it is not in use.
If you would like to confirm the accident and damages status or the title records that a particular vehicle has, you should get a vehicle history report from Detailed Vehicle History. In this report, there will be access to several records on the vehicle such as auction records, vehicle recalls, service and maintenance records, and even theft history.
