Winter Weather Service Checklist

As the calendar officially turns from autumn to winter, it is time to think about routine winter maintenance for your car. Here are five steps to make sure your car will keep running well throughout the season.

Necessary Repairs

If your check engine light is on or you otherwise have reason to suspect something is wrong with your car, bring it in to be fixed right away. Granted, getting repairs done as quickly as possible is always the best policy, but the threat of being stranded in a stalled-out car in the middle of a blizzard should bring just a little extra urgency.

Antifreeze Check

As the name implies, your car's antifreeze is an essential part of its protection against cold conditions. The radiator should contain a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze. Before the cold sets in, make sure the level is full and the mixture is close to that ideal 50/50 ratio. You can pick up a tester for as little as five dollars or take your car to a service station for a check.

Tire Check

Worn-down tires can make maintaining control over your car difficult even under great conditions; when roads are icy or covered in snow, you need as much traction as you can get. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Board, you need at least one sixteenth of an inch of tread depth to be safe; in the winter, try to maintain a tread depth of at least an eighth of an inch. Check your tire pressure as well, as the cold can cause a little to be lost, and consider switching to snow tires if you expect a harsh winter.

New Wipers

Whether it's freezing rain, sleet, hail or snow, anything that falls onto your windshield needs to be cleared off right away. In the winter, precipitation is especially dangerous because much of what comes down is opaque. Worse yet, you will likely spend plenty of time driving in the half-frozen, sandy muck that is left on the road after a snowstorm. Good windshield wipers backed by plenty of washer fluid are essential to keep your windshield clear. Replacing your wipers can be done fairly cheaply, so it's always a worthwhile investment in your safety on the road.

Full Tank

Letting your car run on fumes is never good for the engine, but in the winter there's an added incentive to keep your gas tank at least half full at all times. If you get stranded, it is much safer to be stuck in a car with working heat than one that's out of fuel. Delays and detours will also make you thankful for those few extra gallons of gas.