It's That Time Of Year, Is Your Vehicle Ready?

We have had a nice summer, but... it's over and winter is near, a friend of mine in the mid-west has 5 inches of snow right now. Brrrrrr just thinking about it.

A lot of folks get their house/furnace and other things prepared for the cold but neglect their means of transportation.

Well let me tell you a few things you can do yourself to save some moolah and maybe a road-call/tow.

Take a good look at all of your tires, turn the fronts hard left/right so you can see the inside treads a little better, and check the air pressure, always air your tires to the recommendations in the owners manual or the label on the drivers door/post.

Check your belt(s) for cracks and wear, hoses for cracks and pliability, if they are hard it's time to replace.

Check the antifreeze, you can get a cheap tester for a buck, check the freeze point, it my look good but that does not mean it is. Antifreeze should be changed every two years to prevent it from losing it's strength and to relieve the system of damaging electrolysis that will eat away at gaskets and soft metals.

Check the washer fluid, it's a good idea to run clear water through the washer system while it's still warm and then add clean new washer fluid. You will thank yourself when your washer is getting all that salt off the windshield without fail.

Check your wiper blades, the best way to do this is hit the windshield washer, if the blades don't flip on the down stroke or they jump on the dry windshield it's time for new ones.

Check the heater/defroster, while running the A/C all summer we don't notice if the heater/defroster has a problem.

These few things can prevent some major headaches when the weather turns cold, and could save you a tow/repair bill.

Happy Motoring