Town Crier Articles

It’s not too late to get your car ready for the worst of the coming winter weather. The following are some maintenance tips and suggestions from me to you with help from AAA and Bridgestone to help keep us safe and avoid an inconvenient and time-consuming roadside wait for assistance.  

 

• Get the battery tested: On winter’s coldest mornings, we’ll need our car’s battery to be fully charged and in good condition to start the engine. 
• Examine antifreeze levels: Antifreeze is a mixture of water and ethylene glycol, or propylene glycol. It’s essential for keeping our vehicle’s engine functioning properly no matter the season. Without it, our car’s engine could overheat in the summer or seize up in the winter.
• Add repellent to windshield fluid: Scraping ice-covered windshields and windows is an arduous, chilly task. Adding a hydrophobic repellent such as Rain-X to your windshield, will ease the scraping process.
• Keep window washer fluid full: Replace windshield wiper fluid often.
• Maintain window defrosters in working order: Being unable to see clearly before and even behind us creates unsafe driving conditions.
• Check (and possibly replace) your tires:
  • As temperatures drop, so will tire pressures—typically by 1 PSI (pounds per square inch) for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Proper tire pressure levels can be found in the owner’s manual or on a sticker typically located on the driver’s door jamb. 
  • Examine tires for tread depth. If there is any uneven wearing and cupping, then we may encounter difficulty driving in winter. Tires with less than 4/32” of tread have reduced traction in wet and snowy conditions.   
• Check your headlights: Snow, dirt and grime hinder the headlight’s ability to illuminate the way. Consider purchasing a headlight restoration kit, which will restore the headlight housing ensuring the best visibility. These kits range from $20 - $40 and are available at most automotive stores.  
• Have a professional check the brakes: Car brakes don’t always give a warning when they’re worn low or experiencing other problems.  
• Consult your owner’s manual for guidance: First and foremost, be sure to follow instructions in your car’s owner manual.