Spring is springing and that means it’s time to get your car in shape again after the winter we’ve just had. It’s easy – check out this great guide to spring car maintenance that you can do yourself!

Start with your tires, even if you drive on “all season” tires. Heavy, consistent snow and ice require snow tires, which absolutely should be replaced with the non-snow variety. If you drive on all season radials, this is the time to rotate them. By rotating tires seasonally, you extend the life of the set.

Windshield wiper blades also take a beating during winter weather. Cold temperatures are hard on rubber compounds, and they are assailed with slush kicked up by traffic. This slush often carries with it corrosive salt used to melt road ice, which can do a number on your blades. Early spring is a good time to check and replace them if necessary. Check your windshield fluid as well since there’s a good chance winter’s dirt has exhausted the reservoir.

Next, clean your vehicle’s underbody. There’s no magic solution to getting rid of the corrosive salt build-up but the best tool is a high-pressure sprayer. Pay special attention to the area around the front and rear bumpers. Once you’ve thoroughly sprayed the underbody, check for signs of rust and take the necessary steps to stop any small rust spots from eating away at your vehicle. We’ve all seen those pillars of snow that form around bumpers and wheel wells. That’s the most likely place for road salt to begin the erosion process. While you’re at it, you might as well wash the whole car. Winter is not conducive to leisurely afternoons spent hosing off your vehicle and chances are it’s been a while.

Examine your brakes. Like wipers, brakes take on a bigger role during wintertime and should be checked to ensure that they’ve survived. Listen for brake noises such as grinding, chatter, or squeals. Even if your brakes aren’t making any distinctive noises, it’s still a good idea for you or your mechanic to determine the amount of wear on the pads or drums. We often become accustomed to the feel of worn brakes, without realizing that what we’re used to is a deteriorated ability to stop.

Check all automotive fluids and top off as necessary. Winter driving conditions require your engine to work harder and condensation can cause moisture buildup in the engine that creates wear. If your car is due for scheduled maintenance, have the oil changes and be sure to use the proper formulation and viscosity recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Many automakers now require special, fuel-conserving low-viscosity semi- or full-synthetic engine oils for year-round use.

Go over the interior of your vehicle. This includes taking out and washing floor liners. Vacuum and clean the carpets, and make sure they are dry before you put the liners back in.

Source: https://exchange.aaa.com/car-care/repair-maintenance/seasonal-car-maintenance/#.WpXIAZPwZTY

Do you have blind spots in your vehicle? It’s common – and easy to remedy!

One way to get rid of those blind spots is to stick convex mirrors on to your wing mirrors in the outer corners. You can find these small mirrors at your local auto parts store. Make sure your mirrors are clean first! Note: you should not do this to a leased vehicle.

If you’re hesitant about using an adhesive solution, you can also adjust your mirrors in a way that eliminates holes in your vision. Here’s how:

Adjust your rearview mirror to give you a view directly to the rear. Make it so that it best covers your rear window view. Don’t tilt it to get side views – just straight back through your window.

Lean your head until it almost touches your driver’s side window. Adjust your left side mirror so you can just barely see the side of your car – no more.

Lean your head to the passenger side as far as you can comfortably while still sitting up and adjust the right mirror so you can barely see the right side of your car.

You shouldn’t be able to see the side of your car when your head is all the way upright!

This is an easy way to make sure you’ve got the full range of vision that you need to stay safe in your vehicle.

The final way is to find an aftermarket clip-on rearview mirror that has convex edges and a larger field of view that will allow you to be able to see more of what’s behind you. Ask us for recommendations!

How often do you check your oil? Let me guess – you don’t, really, unless someone specifically asks you to. Well, let me ask you to do it at least once a month. Take your phone out right now and set a recurring monthly calendar event to check your oil. How about Saturday morning? That’s a great time to check out your car, and maybe even clean it out a little while you’re at it.

If you don’t know how to check your oil, it’s really simple, and everyone can do it. Here’s how to get that done – did you make a calendar event?

• Open the hood. Prop it so it stays open.

• Locate the oil dipstick next to the engine. It should have a yellow handle and/or be labeled.

• Pull out the dipstick and wipe it on a clean cloth or paper towel.

• Dip the stick all the way back in.

• Pull it out again and look at the oil level. If it’s in the middle of the hatched/indicated area, you’re good. More is better, less is okay, but if you’re lower than the area you need to get your oil topped up and have your system checked for leaks.

• Look at the oil quality and color. If there are a lot of particles or if the oil looks sludgy, you need to get it changed as soon as possible.

• Put the dipstick back in.

• Close your hood.

Do you like to travel? Do you have a dog? Check out our tips for traveling with your dog!

The first order of business is to never travel with a sick dog. If your dog is ill, take them to the vet and then hire a dogsitter or find a place to board your pup if you’re going away for a longer amount of time.

Next, when you’re on the road you should make sure that your dog has plenty of water to drink. It should be filtered/distilled or tap water from your home, because dogs have very sensitive GI tracts and don’t do well with a sudden change of water.

If you travel with your dog in a crate, make sure that crate is large enough for your dog to stand up, sit down, turn around, and lie down inside of. Put down some soft towels or blankets on the floor of the crate for comfort and maybe toss in a favorite toy or two.

Should your dog not be the crate type, get a harness tie-down for your dog so that they don’t wander around the inside of the car when you’re driving and hurt themselves. Don’t let your dog ride on your lap – they can impede your driving and even cause an accident.

Letting your dog stick their head out the window is also not a great idea. Debris like dust, small rocks, bugs, and other unsavory elements can get into your dog’s eyes and ears and cause injury.

Above all, stop frequently for potty and exercise breaks! Not only does your dog need to get out and stretch its legs, but you could probably do with a bit of exercise yourself!

There’s a secret about car maintenance that I am about to tell you – and unlike other secrets, you should tell literally everyone you know. The reason this is secret? Nobody really knows about it! But you will, and even though we can’t give you a cool pin or badge or anything to signify that you’re in the Club, you have a gold star on your heart forever. What is the secret, you ask?

You should check your tire pressure at least once a week. And the tread. I know, it’s not that exciting of a secret, but I wanted to hype it up a bit because it’s actually really important. You need a tire pressure gauge, which is a cheap thing you can get at any auto parts store, and you need to just make sure that your tire pressure is where it should be pretty regularly – especially in this cold weather we’ve been having. How do you know what the pressure in your tires should be? It’ll be in three places: your owner’s manual, the sticker on the inside of the driver’s side door jamb, and even on the tires themselves.

Checking your tread is similarly easy. All you need is a penny, and you just need to put the penny with Lincoln’s head facing directly down into the tread of your tire. If you can see the top of his head, then that means you really need to get new tires, like ASAP. If you can’t see the top of his head, then that means you’re good for a while. The closer you are to being able to see the top of Abe’s noggin, the closer you are to needing new tires.

At least check your tread every time you remember to do it. It’ll become a great habit, and you’ll always know that you can rely on your tires. Isn’t that great?

When you’re driving anywhere, the important thing is, of course, staying safe – but number two on that list? The tunes! Some folks listen to the radio, some have CD’s, but if you’re the type of person who likes to have a playlist, here’s the perfect one to carry you through the next few days (or weeks, or months, depending on how quickly you get tired of music). Check it out, test it out, and enjoy the drive!

Your New Favorite Playlist

Shut Up And Dance – Walk The Moon

All Right Now – Free

Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top

Slow Ride – Foghat

Roadhouse Blues – The Doors

China Grove – The Doobie Brothers

Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty

I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash

All Day And All Of The Night – The Kinks

Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band

Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen

Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Shiny Happy People – R.E.M.

Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys

Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root

Summer Of ‘69 – Bryan Adams

Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver

Africa – Toto

Purple Rain – Prince

Take On Me – a-ha

Beer For My Horses – Toby Keith and Willie Nelson

Hot Blooded – Foreigner

My Sharona – The Knack

Bennie And The Jets – Elton John

You Make My Dreams – Daryl Hall & John Oates

Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes

Down Under – Men At Work

All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix

Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet

Do you find that either one or both of your headlights is looking a bit dimmer than normal? It’s totally okay – though we’ve gone over the hump of the longest night of the year, it’s still dark out much earlier than in the summer and we’re bound to notice any headlight issues quite easily! So, if you do see that you’ve got a problem developing, check out why it might be happening!

If one headlight isn’t working, then you probably have a burned out bulb or other component relating to your headlight operation. This is an easy fix that your dealer can do for you. If neither of the headlights are working, it’s likely a bad component (i.e. a fuse, relay, or module) or the wiring. Have your dealer check your bulbs anyway!

If your high or low beams aren’t working, it could be the bulb(s), but it could also be because of a bad relay or control switch that’s stopped working properly.

If both of your headlights work, but are dim, then the lenses could be foggy or dirty or your headlights could just be nearing the ends of their natural lives. However, if they’re only dim in certain situations it could be a problem with your charging system. Before you take your vehicle to your dealer for diagnosis and repair, clean your headlights with cleaning solution or soap and water and a clean cloth to make sure that your headlights aren’t just dirty!