Preparing Your Car for the Winter: Maintenance Checklist

What Do I Need to Do to Prepare My Car for Winter?

Driving in the winter weather can be trying at best and disastrous at worst. Winter is creeping in across the country and in some areas, the first snowfalls have already arrived. So to make your winter driving safer and hopefully a little less “adventurous”, here are some of the basic things that you can do to make sure that your car is ready for winter Wichita driving.

Check your Vehicle Fluids

One of the more obvious things to do is to check the fluid levels in your vehicle. Check your antifreeze. Making sure your vehicle’s coolant is full and tested to make sure that your vehicle is protected to a low enough temperature for your area of the country. This test is one that you can do yourself with an inexpensive anti-freeze tester, or your mechanic will be glad to do it for you.

Making sure that your antifreeze is to the proper strength can save you from a lot of aggravating and expensive repairs. While the antifreeze is being checked, you should also check your vehicle’s radiator cap, as a worn cap will allow antifreeze to leak and leave your car under-protected. Replacing the cap is very inexpensive and can save you problems later.

Something you may not think of is to change your oil for the winter. It may be a great time to change to synthetic oil (if appropriate for your vehicle) as synthetic oil flows more freely at lower temperatures, which can lead to easier engine starts and better engine protection.

Of course, you will also want to make sure your windshield washer fluid reservoir is full and that you keep a spare gallon in your vehicle’s trunk or cargo area to make sure you never end up driving with a dirty windshield. Especially in colder climates, make sure that your fluid has deicing chemicals mixed in to help prevent your windows from icing up.

Battery Maintenance

Have your battery and charging system checked by your mechanic to make sure that your battery is not weak and that your charging system is in proper working order. Winter is particularly rough on batteries as it is much harder to start a cold car. If your battery is weak, you will want to replace it with a new battery rather than wait until that cold morning when your car will not start and you wind up being late for work with a weak excuse.

Safety Checks

Check your vehicle’s tires to make sure that you have enough tread life to handle slippery Wichita driving conditions. Not being able to stop can lead to fender benders or worse.

Check your tire pressure frequently throughout the winter to make sure your tires are properly inflated for optimum handling.

Check your windshield wipers for wear. Make sure your windshield wipers are not worn out to prevent them from smearing your windshield during those days of bad weather and getting your windshield splashed by those big trucks on the roads. You may want to check out heavy-duty wiper blades specially designed for winter driving.

Other Maintenance

One of the things that most people don’t consider is the vehicle’s paint job. Make sure that your car is thoroughly washed and free of road grime and apply a coat of a high-quality wax to protect that paint. It will pay dividends throughout the winter, as your vehicle will be protected from road salt and sand.

Another item many people don’t consider is their vehicle’s thermostat. Make sure that the thermostat is working properly and not sticking or you could wind up with no heat in your vehicle.

Clean your fuel injectors by adding a fuel injector cleaner to your gas at fill up. Clean injectors will make your vehicle start easier and run smoother.

Diesel Maintenance

If you drive a diesel-powered vehicle, you will want to use a product to keep your fuel lines from getting gelled up during cold weather. There are a number of products on the market that you can use to help prevent this problem. You will also want to make sure that diesel exhaust fluids are adequate.

Safety Kit

If you live in an area with very hard and cold winters, preparing in advance with a safety kit is a must. You should have at a minimum these items:

• Ice scrapers and a snow brush
• Bottled water
• First-aid kit (Band-Aids, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, gauze pads, antiseptic cream, medical wrap). See a first-aid kit checklist.
• Jumper cables
• Road flares or reflective warning triangles
• Multi-tool (such as a Swiss Army Knife)
• Flashlight, plus extra batteries (or a hand-crank flashlight)
• Windshield cleaner
• If you are going on a longer trip across Wichita and beyond you may want to make sure you have tire chains, a tow belt, a bag of sand (for traction if you get stuck), some blankets, and winter boots. It is also a good idea to have some non-perishable food items such as granola bars or energy bars just in case you get stuck in your vehicle for an extended period.

Taking care to make sure that you are prepared can help to avoid aggravating problems like your car not starting and leaving you stranded, helping to avoid accidents and maybe even saving your life if you get stranded. Proper preparation is the best way to help avoid problems.

Need a Used Car in Wichita?

If your car is past its best, a new used car for winter could be a smart move. At Auto Now Buy Here Pay Here dealership in Wichita, you can get financing for a vehicle even if your credit is poor. For some of the best trade-in prices and Buy Here Pay Here financing in Wichita, get in touch with Auto Now today.