Top 5 Car Maintenance Tips For Winter

For the people of the United States, winter is the season of celebrations, festivities, and joy. Don’t let it turn into a period of increased stress because of your vehicle breakdown.  In addition to affecting your driving experience, the cold weather can cause greater wear and tear to your car.
Take these preventive measures before the season hits hard to make sure your car is prepared to handle the cold:

1. Change Engine Oil

Since low temperatures can cause the engine oil to get thick, experts recommend using thinner or lower viscosity oil in the winter months. When getting your car engine oil changed, opt for modern synthetic motor oil as it doesn’t need to be changed as often as the conventional one and also provides better anti-friction protection.

2. Check for Antifreeze

To prevent your engine from freezing, make sure your car isn’t low on antifreeze. This is particularly important for people who drive older vehicles. In addition to checking the antifreeze level, make sure that are no leaks in the system.

Experts recommend using a 50/50 mix of water and coolant to lower the engine freezing point even further.

3. Check the Battery

It’s difficult for a car battery to operate in winter as the cold weather reduces the rate of chemical reactions and the production of electrons, as a result. The chances may increase significantly when the battery is old.

If you do not want to be stranded because of a dead car battery, get it checked before the temperature starts to drop and make sure it is strong enough to last throughout the season. Check the fluid level, make sure the connectors are clean and tight, none of the components are corroding, and your battery cables are in good condition.

4. Top Up the Fluids

In addition to checking and topping up the brake fluid, power steering fluid, and transmission oil, experts recommend changing the regular windshield fluid with the one containing antifreeze.

5. Check Tire Pressure and Tread

Since ice and snow isn’t a concern for people living in Arizona, you don’t need to replace your vehicle tires before winter. However, you need to regularly check the tire pressure and make sure they have enough tread to make sure they don’t lose traction in case of winter rain.

While these measures will help you prevent car breakdowns, call for roadside assistance in case you end up stranded on the road due to unforeseen trouble.
For any type of roadside assistance in Chandler, AZ, dial 480-725-5862.

Summary

​Cold weather not only affects the driving conditions, it also affects your car’s performance and can lead to vehicle breakdowns. However, the issues can be avoided to a large extent with some pre-winter maintenance.