Get Your Car Ready For Winter With These Practical Tips

It’s starting to get colder outside. Your thoughts will be turning to keeping yourself and your home warm during the winter. But what about your car? The sad truth is a lot of folks don’t give much thought to their workhorses.

car ready for winter

Image from flickr

They expect their cars to work with no issue in any weather conditions. Just like us humans, cars can sometimes feel rough and not want to do anything if they aren’t in top health. That’s why it is important to prepare your car for winter to ensure continued good service.

The question is; what do you need to do to prepare your car for the winter months? The simple answer might be to just not use your car at all. Of course, that’s just silly! Keep reading to learn what you need to do. You’ll be often surprised at just how easy winter car preparation is!

Give your car a winter check
The first thing you need to do is give your car a winter check. When you start your engine in freezing temperatures, the coolant system needs to work well in such conditions.

Be sure to replace any old coolant with a new formula that works in extreme conditions. You should also consider doing an oil and filter change, making sure the oil you use is the right grade for your car.

Make sure your tires are in good condition
Winter often means rain, ice and snow will cause delays in people’s journeys on the road. The delays are usually caused by someone having an auto accident because of defective tires.

I don’t want you to be another statistic, and I’m sure you don’t either. That’s why you need to go and inspect your tires right now! Make sure they have plenty of treads. New tires have a tread of 8mm. The sidewalls should not show any signs of cracking. Nor should there be any tears, rips or bulges.

If you are running on summer tires, consider fitting winter or all-season tires to get the best grip on the road during winter.

Does your HVAC system work well?
HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. You will use your car’s heating system a lot during winter. The air conditioning system will help to remove moisture in the air inside your car. That way, your windshield won’t stay foggy for long!

Test the HVAC system in your car. Make sure that your car gets heated and cooled down as fast as possible. Check for any strange noises coming from under the hood when you turn the air conditioning system on.

If it seems slow to do anything, you might need to get your air conditioning system regassed. I recommend getting an auto shop to do this for you.

Preparing your car for winter isn’t as difficult as you first thought! Feel free to share this guide with your friends via Facebook and Twitter. Happy motoring!