Preparing your car for winter weather
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – This upcoming weekend, we could see our first drop below freezing in the area.
Local mechanics are advising drivers to make sure their vehicle is ready for the cold weather.
Be sure your car is topped off on coolant.
“Most cars have long life antifreeze in them now, so it is not as big an issue as it was maybe 20 years ago. But we still want to make sure that it’s doing its job, that it’s protecting properly, and that it’s not degraded or needs to be replaced,” said Chris Summers, service manager at Christian Brothers Automotive.
Tires need to be inspected carefully.
“Tire pressure affects a lot of things. It affects fuel mileage even in the summer, but it affects your handling is the biggest thing. If a tire is under-inflated then it’s going to be too soft. It’s not going to handle properly. If you over-inflate, you get a bouncing effect or you could skid,” said Summers.
To find your tire inflation information for the cold, you can check the sticker on the inside of your driver side door.
Next, check your tread.
“If you have too thin of a tire, it becomes slick. And obviously you don’t want a slick surface going on a slick surface such as ice or snow and those sorts of things. You want to have enough grip. The tires are designed to grip the snow and ice,” said Summers.
Make sure you have windshield wiper fluid in your car and not just water, because water will freeze and wiper fluid will not.
Another very important reminder is to never start your car in a closed garage. Carbon monoxide can kill you.
“You don’t smell it necessarily, but it will cause very serious health issues. So don’t do that. Make sure that if you’re going to start and leave your car running, do that outside,” said Summers.
Summers also advises keeping a full gas tank and a blanket in the car, just in case you experience car issues and need to stay warm.
He says having some cat litter or sand could get you enough traction to get unstuck when ice has your wheels spinning in place.
“There’s a lot of things that can happen that you’re not aware are happening. So, if you can get ahead of that and do it on a preventative scale, it is much better than waiting until you actually have a problem, especially in super cold weather, that’s magnified. You know, it’s different if it’s 75 outside and you have a car issue as opposed to if it’s, you know, ten degrees, that’s a totally different situation,” said Summers.
