34 / 100
Winter is just around the corner. For
many drivers, that also means the
challenges of winter car ownership
are just around the corner, too, like
salted streets, icy roads, freezing
temperatures and heavy snow. How
can you make sure your car is well
cared for during the difficult winter
months? We’ve listed eight simple
car care tips that can go a long way
toward making sure your car stays
in great shape all winter long.
Lighting
One major hazard with winter driv-
ing is that the sun sets earlier in
the day, which means there’s less
daylight, especially on your com-
mute home. As a result, you’ll want
to do everything you possibly can
to make sure all of your vehicle’s
lights are in excellent shape, pro-
viding the brightest possible illumi-
nation they can. If a bulb is out, fix
it before winter starts, and if there’s
snow covering any exterior light,
make sure you remove it before
setting off to drive anywhere. If your
headlights are foggy or yellow, con-
sider replacing them or look into an
easy restoration kit.
Battery
It’s often more difficult for a battery
to operate in cold weather than it
is for a battery to operate in warm
weather. As a result, a battery
that’s merely weak during the sum-
mer could turn into a dead battery
during the winter. Our advice is to
have a volt test performed on your
battery before winter starts to make
sure it’s still in good working order.
If it isn’t, buy a new battery as soon
as possible so you’ll never have to
worry about being stranded or left
in a cold parking lot with a car that
won’t start.
Coolant
Coolant, also known as antifreeze,
is tremendously important to your
car, as it keeps the engine from
freezing in cold temperatures. Be-
fore you head into winter, make
sure your car isn’t low on coolant
and that there aren’t any leaks in
your vehicle’s engine that could
cause coolant to drain out. Many
mechanics recommend drivers use
a 50/50-mix of coolant and water in
their radiators, which usually results
in a lower engine freezing point
than just coolant.
Gasoline and Washer Fluid
You might be wondering what gas-
oline and washer fluid could possi-
bly have in common. The answer is
that they’re two automotive items
you should try to keep full during the
winter. You should try to keep your
gas tank full for several reasons,
like the fact that a full tank may pre-
vent accumulated water from freez-
ing inside your fuel pump and can
help you stay warm by allowing the
engine to stay running in case you
get stuck. Meanwhile, a full wind-
shield-washer reservoir is tremen-
dously important, as messy road
debris from a snowstorm can some-