With the winter season quickly approaching it is a time that many drivers dislike. ÄŸŸ˜ £With the weather requiring that you carry an umbrella more often and with temperatures plummeting, it means that cars break down a lot more and these breakdowns can occur twice as much than at other times of the year. ÄŸŸš-
Apart from breakdowns, there might also be physical damages to your car due to hails during the winter season. In a case where you would want to sell such a car, you can expect to lose $3000 to $10,000 when trading or selling your hail damaged vehicle. Thus, it is always prudent to get the insurance that can cover such hefty damage to your wallet (might as well get a sturdy cover too, to minimize the damage). However, keeping this situation aside, if you can prepare your car for the winter season properly, then there’s no reason to fear internal damages. There are some simple steps that you can take. The good news is that these steps won’t break the bank. ÄŸŸ˜ƒ
1. Get discounted and free service on your car
Getting the car properly serviced is something that everyone has put off at times. Everyone is busy these days and this is one of the main reasons they put off the service the car needs. ÄŸŸ ¤ · Unfortunately, this is one of the worst things you can do. If you look for them, there are some winter car checks that are discounted or even free at some of the chains and even some independent garages. During this time of year, many of them that have this service will be promoting it. You should definitely take advantage of those. ÄŸŸ‘Œ
According to the AA, as many as 50% of the problems drivers experience in winter could have been prevented if they had simply gotten the service checks and maintenance the car needed. This means it’s absolutely worth having done before the cold weather hits. â”ï ¸
2. Fix any window cracks and other similar damage before the cold comes
If you have a look over your car before winter and feel along the sides you may find that you come across all kinds of scrapes and dents in the bodywork. This is something that needs to be taken care of before winter. Dents can get fixed very easily using companies that offer Dent repairs in Auckland and other places and this ensures that the cold weather doesn’t swell the dent in further on your car.
In addition to dents small cracks in the window or in your lights can get considerably worse once the cold comes. Small cracks can be easily fixed but once they get worse, they may require replacement. This is why you should fix these before the first freeze. That is the time when contacting a Muskego Auto Body Repair Service company, or other similar auto repair companies based on where you live can come in handy. They would be able to provide you with an overall analysis of all the repairs your car might be in need of.
3. Make sure to winterize your screen wash
If you’re using cheap screenwash it’s fine but the question is whether it can last through the winter. It’ll need to be capable of handling temperatures as little as 10 degrees. If not, you could have it freeze in the engine. â”ÄŸŸ˜ ° If you find what you have is not suitable, then simply run it out and replace it with winterized screenwash.
4. Fill up your antifreeze
It’s important to make sure that your radiator is a mix of 50/50 with water and antifreeze. It’s important that you keep additional antifreeze on hand so that you can add it as necessary. ÄŸŸ‘ If you have added some earlier in the year then it might be diluted and this means it’s susceptible to freezing. This, in turn, can cause overheating of the engine which could cause damage that’s very expensive. Using antifreeze when necessary during the winter is best. ÄŸŸ˜ƒ
5. Keep rubbing alcohol on hand
There’s no need to buy more expensive types of ice removal products for your windshield when alcohol will do the job nicely. ÄŸŸ ¾ If you’re in a rush and you want to clean your frozen windows quickly, that’s how you can do so. If you keep some in a spray bottle you can quickly and easily remove frost on winter mornings.
6. Check your tires with the 20P method
This is a useful way of checking the tread level on your tire. All you need to do is take a 20P coin and place it in a ridge between the tread and look at it when the coin is level. If you’re able to easily see the outer ring then this means that your tire is worn down and doesn’t have enough tread. ÄŸŸ˜ ¯ If on the other hand, it does cover most of the outer ring then you likely have enough tread to get you through the winter. If you want to make sure you should check three different areas of the tire. ÄŸŸš™
7. Use Vaseline to prevent battery corrosion
Vaseline is a very versatile product and it can cut down on battery ÄŸŸ”‹ replacement and repairs. You can do this by simply placing some on the battery to prevent corrosion.
8. Unfreeze a frozen car lock
If you discover that your lock has frozen then don’t keep trying to open it because you might break the key. ÄŸŸ”‘ Instead, use an ordinary lighter to melt the ice without doing any other damage. It’s usually something most people have and it’s completely safe. ÄŸŸ‘
9. Use a foil window screen as a cover
You can help keep your screen from freezing by using an inexpensive window screen cover. These are easily purchased cheaply at discount bins. ÄŸŸ ¤‘ This will protect your screen and keep it clean. It will also prevent issues with cracks which may cause windshield replacement.
10. Allow the engine to run a few minutes each morning
It isn’t recommended to start driving too soon because this can actually damage your engine over time. It’s always better to give it a few minutes to run and warm up. Of course, you will want to pull the car out of the garage before doing this as a safety precaution. ÄŸŸš-