With fall weather you can bet that old man winter will soon be upon us winter is by no doubt the most difficult time of the year to keep a car running smoothly.

Lubricants become thick and sluggish in the frigid temperatures and must be warmed up properly and evenly to work properly and fully. Along with lubricants water coolants must contain of anti-freeze components and additives to prevent their freezing. Even a car’s metal body and finish must be protected from harsh road salts, snow and ice.

Vehicle owners and operators should prepare their cars and trucks long before winter freeze-up occurs. The adage of don’t leave things for the last minute and why wait for spring certainly apply here no doubt. It’s not only a matter of convenience but also of thrift and cost. Phone for a tow truck in the dead of winter and you may have a long wait.
A simple service call to the wrecker truck might entail a long service call as everything takes a lot longer in the winter time to perform and set up. On top of that you can bet that almost everything will go wrong – leading to a lot higher service call fee, never mind time lost in the interim.

A good place to start wintertime preventive maintenance is with a standard engine tune up. At this fall time of year no doubt you will see specials for fall tune ups in your mailbox, in your local newspaper in the automotive sections and on-line as well.

What does a fall tune-up usually entail? Generally for the average run of the mill personal use vehicle this will involve replacing the car or truck’s spark plugs, rotor, fuel and air filters as well as having the engine properly times.

Older vehicles and trucks that do not have electronic ignition systems – rather the old style mechanical points and distributor cap systems may require replacement of and new distributor points, condenser and possibly new replacement ignition wires. It is always wise and best practice to check the age and condition of your vehicle’s battery.
As well take the time to inspect and clean the battery’s contact terminals. Often the battery terminals are inspected and the procedure is to clean them with a baking soda mixture to clean off corrosion off the electrical contact surfaces.

Many drivers never replace their engine coolant and indeed are still running on factory installed glycol. Radiator antifreeze needs to be replaced from time to time – it wears out. Check your vehicle’s owner manual either in the glove box or online at the car maker’s website. Remember that your heater’s output of heat – for defrosting windows and comfort is dependent on radiator anti-freeze. It is not only the age of the fluid that matters have it tested for both cold weather freezing strength (percentage of ethylene glycol anti-freeze to water) and its level as well.

In addition check the concentration of the windshield washer antifreeze.

Often in fall and summertime simple water is added to the tank. This can freeze in the winter if the concentration of cold weather antifreeze windshield washer fluid is not high enough, if mainly water is in the tank then the windshield washer fluid reservoir may well freeze into ice and crack the reservoir container. False economy for not simply replacing and draining the fluid with relatively inexpensive windshield washer antifreeze.

Lastly check the condition of your tires. Are they in good shape? Is their adequate tread for winter traction? Or do you need replacement tires or specialized snow tires.

Preparation of your vehicle for winter time travel and road conditions is time and money well spent. No doubt about that.

Author Bio: Kerry A. Francis Derrick Dodge Canada’s Highest Volume Dodge Dealership High Dodge Chrysler Purchasing Power means Lowest Prices Edmonton Dodge Ram 1500 Trucks Edmonton Chrysler Sebring 2010 Fort McMurray Jeep Liberty

Category: Automotive
Keywords: automotive service,wintertime driving,winter anti-freeze radiator,auto dealer service center