With winter right around the corner, it is important for us to get our vehicle ready for whatever mother nature might have in store. Unfortunately, we can’t know for sure when the snow will hit, it could be next month, next week, even tomorrow! We just don’t know! So in order to get ahead of the winter months, it’s important to get your vehicle ready now! If you’re unsure what you should be checking for, check out our list below! If you don’t want to do the maintenance yourself, be sure to check out our service page on our website and schedule your service now!

From low tire pressure to frozen fuel lines to road salt damage, winter can take its toll on your vehicle. Here are five car care tips to prevent long-term damage:

Winter Tires

• If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to swap out those summer tires for winter tires
• If you haven’t changed your tires in a while, it might be time to purchase a new set
• If you think you don’t need to change your tires just because your town doesn’t snow a lot, you’re wrong! If your city drops below 45 degrees you need to change your tires because they’re made to give you better traction while turning or stopping on cold pavement.

Check tire pressure:

• Making sure your tires are inflated to the proper PSI is important, especially in the winter
• Driving on underinflated tires can cause them to wear down prematurely and lose traction on icy or slippery surfaces
• PLus, it is important to regularly check them because your tires lose a pound of pressure with every 10-degree drop in temperature.

Keep your fuel tank half full at least

• During winter weather, it’s a good idea to keep at least half a tank of fuel in the vehicle in the event of an emergency or if you get stuck in the snow and need to wait for rescue.
• Also if your tank level gets too low it can actually freeze

Add a protective layer

• Adding a coat of wax can help protect your vehicle from road salt, grime, snow, sleet and more.

Protect your windshield wipers

• If you park outdoors, leave the wipers in the raised position to prevent them from freezing to the windshield
• Never use your wiper blades to remove ice, snow or frost from the windshield; use an ice scraper instead.