24/7 Emergency Service
Winterizing your vehicle
11/9/2017 (Permalink)
The Dreaded Dead Battery
Most of us have gone out to start our vehicle in the winter to hear the car start to turn over slowly then nothing as the battery dies. Your heart sinks as you realize you are not heading to wherever you had planned on going to. Well here are some tips you can use to help avoid winter time issues.
- Check the brake fluid levels. All fluids move slower in winter and brakes are no exception
- A 50/50 water and antifreeze is recommended. They now make premixed if you are unsure about the mix ratios.
- Check your battery. Many auto places offer this as a free service. Remember short trips do not give your battery much time to charge so it slowly dies. Also keep an emergency jump starter in the car. You can usually find these starting at around $50.00
- Keep tires at the proper inflation level to insure good grip on the road. Also drive at safe speeds since we all know it is easy to lose traction in the winter's slippery conditions
- Make sure oil level is where it needs to be. Again fluids get thick and the engine needs the oil to lubricate the cylinders.
- Check your wipers. Also top off your windshield washer fluid. You don't want to be in traffic and the windows are getting dirty and no way to clean them. They get hard to see through very quickly.
- Keep gas level above a 1/4 tank to keep it from freezing. If you drive a diesel they have additives to help keep from gelling up and also additives should it gel up to liquefy it again
Be safe and drive safe. Your lives and all those others are too important to take chances.