Winter is knocking at the door. And, there is a call for extra care and maintenance of your ride. When the temperature drops, it is quite difficult to maintain your ride in a good condition, you need to be extra careful about the maintenance of your car during the winter season.
The winter season may harm your car’s performance. Here are the lists of some tips that can make your car winter-ready.
Essential tips to maintain the car during the winter season
Just like the other creatures, vehicles also show their reaction according to the season. So, why not roll your sleeves and have a go-to do some simple as well as essential maintenance tips.
- Check the windscreen wash: Make sure this maintenance tip is on top of your priority list, especially in the winter season. If you are planning for a long drive in the winter season you should carry an extra bottle of fluid in the vehicle. It is also illegal in some parts not to have a vehicle screen washer bottle, so it is always a great idea to carry a screen washer bottle with you.
- Plugin the vehicle: Sometimes in winter, the temperature drops to -15 Celsius, it is always recommended to use the block heater. Plugging your vehicle overnight with the block heater keeps your engine hot, so your car will start normally without stalling.
- Check your wipers regularly: Fog, smog, always disturbs the visibility of the car in the winter. Proper working of the wipers is necessary to avoid accidents. You should change the wiper blade at least twice a year. Cleaning of wipers blade is also done from time to time. These days’ different varieties of wipers blade are available in the markets that do not allow collecting a pile of snow or ice over it.
- Survey of Nether of your car: To improve the aerodynamics and fuel-efficient, vehicles are equipped with underbody panels and low hanging air dams. They can get serious damage if get drove over a snowdrift in the winter season. This can lead to high expenses out of a little problem. Check the underground body of the car, to see if anything is loose or flapping out. Just zip it off to its place using a tape, so that it could not come into contact with ice heaps.
- Check the battery of your car: Winters put stress in your car’s battery, especially if you have parked your car outside. Your car’s battery may die in the mid-way if you didn’t get it checked or replaced. Replacing or repairing the faulted battery is the smartest thing is to do in the winter season. Solve all the battery related issues before planning a long drive in the winters. Hire a car expert to check all the connections related to the battery of the car.
- Keep winter survival kit ready in your car: Always keep ready a winter survival kit in your vehicle for any emergency condition. In that kit, you must put basic first aid things, extra batteries, torches, traction mat, engine oil, tire chain, flares, and battery jumper cables. These things are very useful when you are driving in snowy areas, especially at night.
- Check rubber hoses and leakages: In winters, rubber hoses normally get hard, which can get cracks and that results in a leakage. Check all the hoses and drive belts of the vehicles regularly to avoid the chances of mishappening.
- Check all the lights and the bulbs of the vehicle: check all the bulbs and the lights of the car, as these are mandatory for clear vision during the foggy mornings in the winter. Regularly clean the headlamp and the tail lamp of the car, if you notice fog in the housings.
- Protect the seals of the car: During the winter season, snowfall can jam the door of the vehicle due to the ice formation between the door and the rubber seal; you can use any lubricant on the rubber seal to prevent the ice build-up and hardening of the rubber. This helps to extend the life of the material by preventing it from hardening.
- Check the tire condition of the vehicle: Tires are considered the most crucial part of the vehicle. You need to check the conditions of tires on the regular basis. The inappropriate tire pressure leads to wear and tear earlier than its normal period. Damaged tires are very dangerous to travel, especially in the winters, as they can skid and may lead to fatal accidents. While checking the condition of the tire, remember to check the sidewall of the tires for any cuts. If you are living in snowy areas, you should purchase snow tires.
- Check the brake of your car: Brakes play a crucial role in the safety of the car. They just not only include brake pads but the whole system that comprises the brake disc, caliper, and brake fluid. It is very necessary to check the brake before any ride in snowy areas because the tire skids, and if you fail to apply the brake, it can cause a major accident. So, pay attention to the rake condition of your car.
- Check the coolant of the car: Coolants are also the mandatory parts of the vehicle that helps to keep the engine away from overheating. Especially for winters take a coolant which contains a good mix of water and coolants. Check the coolant level and then check the whole system of the car for any leakages.
- Check oil and filters of the car: Check the engine oil and filters of the car regularly that will you avoid frosty situations in the winter drives. During the winters oil becomes more thick than usual, so you need to change the oil on the regular basis. Oil and filters plays a crucial role towards the safety of the car, so it is necessary that oil and filters should be in good condition.
- Do the regular maintenance of the car: Maintenance of the car is a necessary thing to do regularly. You should maintain all the parts of the car without a fail. Check all the parts thoroughly before going to a drive. Check all the interior and exterior parts of the car that can be affected by the winters.
- Check your defroster and climate controller: Check the defroster and climate control of your vehicle before winters, and make sure they are working properly. The climate control helps to keep you warm, while defrosters protect your windows from getting foggy.
These are some basic tips that will help your car from being damaged in the winters.