Is Your Car Winter Ready?

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Heater/Defroster

You should make sure that the heater and the defroster are in good working order. The defroster is especially important for increasing driver visibility when fog starts to build up on the windows. Because of this, your defroster should be dealt with before the heater -for your road safety. There are many portable defrosters that can be picked up at your local automotive store and a decent model will only run you about $30-50. Of course driving in a cold car can be especially distracting so you will want to make sure your heater is in good working order well before the cold sets in.

Headlights

Run a light check to ensure that all bulbs are working properly and that the filaments are still strong. Winter driving causes the speedy build-up of grime over your headlights; this can dramatically reduce your visibility so you are going to need to clean them regularly. This should typically take less than five minutes before you start your journey.

Exhaust System

This is a very important maintenance task that far too many people neglect. Proper exhaust maintenance could just save your life! Winter driving on rough roads can act to damage your exhaust system causing small holes and sometimes even disconnecting parts entirely. Holes in the exhaust system can lead to Carbon Monoxide leaks, which can cause a deadly build-up in your car –especially in the winter when the windows are closed. Carbon Monoxide is colorless, odorless, and tasteless which makes it completely undetectable to your senses and yet exposure to it can be fatal.

Tires

Specialty winter tires are not necessary unless you will be regularly driving in an area that receives little road cleanup/maintenance. For everyone else, a good set of ‘All Weather’ tires will do. You do, however, need to ensure that your tires are in good shape. Check to see if the tire tread is worn, they properly inflated and that they are calibrated properly. Tire pressure goes down by about one pound for every drop of about 5°C so it is important to regularly check your tire pressure. Properly inflated tires will provide you with the highest amount of contact with the road and, likewise, the best traction.

After Starting

Once the car is started, it is advisable to keep it running for anywhere from five to ten minutes to get the oil flowing through out the pistons before taking off. Failure to do so in cold weather could cause new problems and make existing problems worse

Winter Equipment

Even with all the proper precautions in place there is always the possibility of a breakdown (or something worse) happening to you or your car, so it is best if you are prepared with the following gear:

Windshield scraper, snow brush, lightweight shovel, bag of sand (or wire traction mat/other abrasive substance), large box of facial tissues, properly inflated spare tire, wheel wrench and jack, first aid kit, flashlight, flares, battery jumper cables, warm blanket, gloves, extra pair of boots, some snacks and a mobile phone.

Remember, car problems never go away unless dealt with directly and cold weather is bound to make existing problems worse. A winter breakdown is never pleasant but at least you can lower the possibility of it happening to you.

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 User Comments:

jimmy

Jan 10, 2009 5:29 PM

this is great

Tom

Dec 1, 2008 6:51 PM

I dont bother with them.. i use seasonal tires. summer for summer and winter for winter. All season are okay, but they will never match the quality of seasonal tires in season

jake

Nov 29, 2008 3:46 AM

whats the deal with all season tires.. better. worse. what?

mynamehere

Nov 25, 2008 9:28 PM

winter? its summer here haha!

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