How to Winterize Your Vehicle
Winter can wreak havoc on your car. Colder temperatures affect how well your car operates, and the mixture of icy roads with the salt used to keep the roads passable can have a detrimental impact on your car. There are some basic maintenance steps you can take, though, that can help you protect your investment and keep your car in top shape throughout the winter months.
Make Sure You Can See Clearly. Checking the state of your windshield wipers and making sure your wiper fluid is filled properly will help you stay safe during the winter months. If your wipers are over a year old or are leaving water streaks on your windshield, they need to be replaced. Also, be sure that the wiper fluid solution you use contains an antifreeze agent.
Consider Using Snow Tires. Snow tires are built for winter weather. Designed to grip snow and ice, these tires will provide you with more traction on icy or snow-covered roads than regular tires and will increase your driving safety during the winter months.
Check Your Tire Pressure. Whether you opt for winter tires or stay with traditional ones, it is important that you keep your tires properly inflated. Properly inflated tires will provide the best possible contact with the road. They also help protect your car against the wheel damage that can occur when you drive over potholes. This won't be a one-time maintenance check: the colder it gets, the more your tire pressure will drop, so be diligent.
Use the Correct Motor Oil for the Winter. Because engine oil becomes thicker as the temperature drops, you need to be sure your car is using oil with the right viscosity or thickness. Refer to your car's owner's manual for recommendations from your manufacturer. In general, thinner oil is the best way to go because even when it thickens in the cold temperatures, it will still be thin enough to allow for proper lubrication of your car's engine.
Check Your Battery. When the mercury drops, the cold temperatures reduce your battery's ability to perform properly, sometimes dropping battery power by as much as 50%. Some batteries have windows that allow you to check whether they are fully charged. If your battery does not have this feature, have it tested by a certified repair facility.
You should also inspect your battery terminals for corrosion, which can reduce the amount of power the battery produces. You can clean off this corrosion at little cost by using a mixture of baking soda and water. When applied, this solution will neutralize the battery acid that causes the corrosion, and with a wire brush, you should be able to scrub off the loosened corrosion from the terminals.
Make Sure Your Antifreeze Mixture Is Properly Balanced. To maintain proper performance during the colder months, your coolant mixture should be half antifreeze and half water. You can monitor the balance using an inexpensive antifreeze tester available at most auto parts stores. This will allow you to continue monitoring and adjusting the blend as needed.