Winter Car Care Tips

Winter Car Care Tips: Reno Auto Body Shops

Perhaps one of the most important things to remember as a car owner is upkeep on your vehicle. Everybody hopes that their vehicle will live a long life and offer value over a long period of time. But, long life isn’t granted to every vehicle, especially those that are not kept up by their owners. Paying attention to your vehicle’s needs is the key to ensuring that it won’t randomly die on you one day.  This is especially relevant during the winter. The winter months can take a serious toll on your vehicle’s well being if you don’t take steps to care for your vehicle,  resulting in a visit to Reno auto body shops. The main things to worry about during the winter months include the following:

Battery | Oil | Tires | Antifreeze | Wiper Blades | Windows

Battery

Your car’s battery should be at the forefront of winter car care concerns. As temperatures drop, your battery’s ability to generate voltage is going to do the same. In fact, by the time it hits zero degrees Fahrenheit outside, car batteries typically operate at about half their usual ability.  It’s important to check your battery regularly during the winter. In conventional batteries, you should periodically remove the plastic caps to check the fluid levels of the battery. If the fluid levels are low, adding distilled water will do the trick to fix it.

When it comes to maintenance free batteries, it’s important to check the charge monitor on top of the battery. If the monitor indicates that your car’s battery is not fully charged, consider seeing a professional to determine whether you need a new battery, or just a recharge. In any case, during the winter, carrying a set of jumper cables with you isn’t a bad idea.

Oil

Motor oil is especially of concern when thinking of Reno winter car care.  The cold weather tends to thicken oil, making it harder for the engine to start. Ideally, your vehicle is already using motor oil that is marked with a ‘W’ in the viscosity index. This indicates that the oil is ideal for winter use. Prior to the winter months, you should have your oil checked as well as your filter and other internal parts linking to your engine. Making sure your oil and oil filter is in good condition before winter comes can help prevent engine problems during non-ideal temperatures.

Tires

With the winter cold comes the winter snow conditions. Tires are your first line of defense against spinning out in the snow or on frozen roads. It’s important to have tires on your vehicle that aren’t worn out and are equipped for winter driving conditions. The best option for winter conditions is winter tires. Winter tires have treads specifically designed to handle on sleet, snow, and ice. While there are all season tire options, they don’t compare to the control and traction that winter specific tires can give you. Read more on winter tires here.

Antifreeze

Antifreeze is essential to your checklist before winter comes. Make sure to check on your antifreeze levels and for leaks in your engine that may be causing antifreeze to drain out. Without a sufficient amount of antifreeze in your vehicle, you run the risk of your engine freezing in colder temperatures, which nobody wants. Many mechanics recommend a 50 /50 mixture of antifreeze and water, which tends to result in a lower freezing temperature for your engine.

Wiper Blades

Wiper Blades are crucial to your safety while driving in the winter. As anybody who lives in the snow will tell you, visibility while driving during a snow storm is mediocre at best. It’s recommended that for your safety, and the safety of your vehicle, you replace your blades before heading into winter. Along with this, you may even think about replacing them once again after a couple of winter months. Also, be sure to lift your blades off of your windshield while your vehicle is parked if there is a chance of snow. Snow tends to pile up on the windshield, and may freeze your blades to the windshield.

Windows

There’s no question that your windows will most likely freeze during the winter. When you’re leaving for work early in the morning, and your windows have completely frozen over, there’s a couple of rules to follow. First, don’t try to get the ice off with your brand new wiper blades. That will just wreck the blades and do nothing to remove the ice. Instead, pick up an ice scraper. This will save you a lot of time and is the most efficient method of clearing ice.

Along with the ice scraper, turn on your vehicles defrost system for a while. This will help melt the ice and snow on your windows and keep them warm while you’re driving. One poor practice for clearing ice is pouring hot water onto the windows. Do not do this. By pouring hot water onto an ice cold window, you actually run the risk of cracking or completely shattering your window.

If you follow these tips, you should be very prepared for a safe winter of driving carefully through snow storms and freezing days. But even with these tips, winter can still be a dangerous time to drive and accidents happen. We are a Reno auto body shop that cares more about your safety than anything else. That’s why, here at A1 Body Shop we offer reasonable auto body repair rates to better serve you when these accidents happen compared to other body shops in Reno NV. For more information contact A1 Body Shop!