Eight Ways to Prepare Your Car for Winter Weather

Winter. It’s finally here, and with it comes snow, ice, salt, and a slew of other hazards. Because winter weather is so hazardous, we have to do all we can to ensure that our cars are in good working order.

Keeping our vehicles maintained can cut down on at least a few of the dangerous variables of the winter months.

I am working with the International Carwash Association to share these tips. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. 

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Minimize the Impact of Winter Weather

Cold weather is harsh and unforgiving. The roads are slippery. People drive like they’ve never seen the mysterious white stuff that’s falling from the Heavens.

On top of treacherous roads, and drivers that obviously have no idea how to drive in the snow, your car takes a hit from the extreme conditions as well. Here’s what you need to do to protect your car from the hazards of winter weather.

1. Rotate Your Tires: Rotating your tires is very important. Tires which aren’t rotated routinely wear unevenly, reducing their effectiveness as well as their overall longevity. You should rotate your tires before winter sets in. After that rotate them every 6,000 miles to make sure you have maximum tread grip and tire life.

2. Winter Weight Oil: This is an important one, especially if you live in a cold climate like I do. If your winters are exceptionally cold, you should switch over to a heavier weight oil to ensure maximum protection of your engine.

3. Check Your Wiper Blades: Your wiper blades are invaluable all year long, but they’re especially important in winter weather. Visibility can sometimes be bad. Super bad. So you need to be sure those blades are good to go. If you have any doubts, replace those suckers.

4. Get a Tune Up: Noises, pings, sluggish starts, and those mysterious alert lights on the dashboard are only going to get worse when the cold sets in. If you have any issues, address them sooner rather than later. The last thing you want is to be stranded in the snow!

5. Check Your Power Steering Fluid: Warm up the car, and then check your power steering fluid. If it’s low, take it in and have the hoses checked. Low fluid levels can make steering difficult on a good day. In the cold, it’s next to impossible!

6. Check the Exhaust System: Carbon monoxide is a danger in your car as well as your home. In the winter, we drive with our windows up all the time. Any leaks, in the exhaust system could have you breathing in deadly fumes.

7. Check the Breaks: Your breaks are your best friends in the winter time – if they work properly. It’s important to get them checked out and make sure they’re ready for the coming cold.

8. Keep Your Car Clean: This is a must to protect your car from fluctuating temperatures as well as road salt and sand. Most car manufacturers suggest getting a wash and wax for your car twice a month in the winter. That’s because a wash gets rid of all the accumulated salt and mung that our cars seem to attract like magnets during the winter, and a wax protects our cars from the winter grodies we just washed off.

As long as you’re getting your car washed, why not keep it environmentally friendly? WaterSavers Car Wash facilities can get your car clean and sparkly using a lot less water than standard car washes. Their system uses a water reclamation tank to collect the water used in car washes and route it through a filter to be used again. Any overflow is piped directly into water reclamation facilities. Your car stays clean, and so does the environment.

If you’re like me, you love your four wheeled baby. Keep your mechanical bundle of joy protected from the winter months and protect the environment at the same time. It’s a win win!

How do you keep your car protected during the harsh winter weather?