Tips to Winterize Your Car

I’m Lauren Fix, The Car Coach. Get your car ready for winter now and avoid costly repair work later.

The weather is getting colder outside and soon we will be taking our road trips for the holidays, just don’t get iced by winter weather.

Cold weather could make any car’s current problems much worse and leave you on the side of the road.

Avoid The Land of the Freeze

Here is some advice for motorists who want to get their cars ready for winter. Include on your winter safety checklist:

• Have an ASE certified mechanic check your car’s cooling system for the correct mixture of anti-freeze and water. Worn out coolant will rust your engine from the inside and could destroy your engine.

• Change the oil with a quality brand name oil and oil filter. I prefer full synthetic, premium oil, especially if you have high mileage on your vehicle. Royal Purple HMX is a high-mileage synthetic motor oil specifically designed to minimize wear and restore lost performance in engines with more than 75,000 miles. Used in tandem with a Royal Purple oil filter, you can go up to 15,000 miles between oil changes. Don’t forget to check your oil once a month.

• Make sure the battery and charging systems are in good condition so they can provide maximum starting power under the worst conditions. Have your favorite ASE mechanic test the system.

• Have your belts and hoses checked for cracks and leaks. If the hoses are soft, have bulges, or have slow leaks at fittings, they should be replaced before they lead to real problems.

• Change air filters every 12,000 miles or every six months. Use a quality brand name filter—this will give you better fuel economy and performance.

• Windshield wipers, brakes and exterior lights also need to be inspected. Replace old blades with winter blades that fight ice build-up.

• If you own a diesel vehicle, consider an additive like Max-Tane. It is a high performance fuel system treatment designed specifically for diesel-powered cars and trucks to improve fuel economy, help your vehicle start quicker, and protect the engine in cold temperatures.

Tire and Ice

Then there are your car’s tires. Good tires mean good traction when there’s snow on the ground. Most cars come with all-season radial tires that can be used for light snow. New York receives heavy snow, so you should invest in four winter tires.

The ExtremeContact DWS is Continental’s ultra-high performance all-season tire. This tire is tuned for dry, wet and snow.

Check your tire pressure once a month; tires will lose about 1-2 p.s.i. (pounds per square inch) of pressure for every 10 degrees of temperature drop.

Emergency Gear

All motorists should keep emergency gear in their cars. The list include:
• Jumper cables
• Flashlight with new batteries
• First Aid kit
• LED Flares
• Protein bars and bottled water—in
case you’re stuck waiting for help.
• Snow brush with ice scraper
• Blanket for every passenger
• Cell phone and chargers
• Road service card
• Paper towels
• Extra washer fluid.
• Work gloves
• Basic tools

The secret to a safe winter “is to see and be seen.”

For more information, go to YNN.com. I’m Lauren Fix, The Car Coach.

Courtesy of YNN/Time Warner Cable
Aired: 12/09/2013