Winter poses many risks for your car and safety. First, the season is hard on your vehicle, especially your engine. It can wear and tear your vehicle in no time. Second, it can be dangerous to drive on winter roads, which puts you at risk of accidents. The only solution is to prepare your vehicle before winter arrives. Here’s how.

Prepare Your Tires

To prepare your tires for winter, you need to check their tread and air pressure. If needed, you should change them into the winter-ready variety.

Start with checking the tread on your tires. There should be enough tread on your tires to allow them to work properly on snowy roads.

To check the tread on your tires, use the Lincoln test. Take a penny and stand it on a groove of a tread on any of your tires. Slide it down the groove and make sure Lincoln’s head is facing you. If Lincoln’s head is no longer visible, you’re safe. Otherwise, you need to change your tires before winter.

If your tires are safe after a Lincoln test, rotate them when you have your car’s oil changed.

You should also check the pressure on your tires. If it’s too low, you can increase your risk of getting into an accident when you drive down a snowy road. If you have a portable tire inflator, you can check the pressure on your own. Visit your trusted mechanic if you don’t have a tire inflator. Your local garage can help you fill your tires up.

If you’re planning an off-road adventure this winter, make sure to replace your regular tires with snow tires. If you’re not going off-road but is expecting harsh weather, you should also put on your vehicle’s snow tires. Snow tires are also ideal for mountainous terrain.

Prepare Your Engine

Like any other season, it’s important to regularly maintain your vehicle’s engine. It helps you prepare for winter as well. If you don’t, it’s best to get your car tuned up at your local garage. Your trusted mechanic will clean, fix, and replace various parts in your vehicle’s engine.

Typically, a mechanic will look in your engine’s distributor caps, rotors, car fluids, belts, hoses, spark plugs, and filters. However, you can easily do car fluid changes at home.

Start with your vehicle’s engine oil. Popular Mechanics magazine suggests replacing the old one with a winter-grade oil. But why?

According to science and tech magazines, cold temperatures affect the viscosity, or thickness, of your engine’s oil. If oil has high viscosity, it can lubricate a car engine properly, making your vehicle run efficiently. During winter, regular engine oil becomes thinner, which indicates low viscosity. Using a winter-grade oil that’s resistant to cold weather is a better choice.

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You should also check your windshield washer reservoir. It should be full during winter to ensure that you can always keep your windshield clear. Visibility issues are often a problem with drivers during winter. If you keep your windshield clear, you can prevent accidents.

Lastly, make sure your vehicle has enough fuel to prevent fuel-line freezing. If this happens, you will have to wait for fuel to thaw before starting your engine.

Prepare Your Car’s Exterior and Interior

Check if all exterior elements are working – lights, windshield wipers, doors, hoods, and trunks. Make sure burnt-out bulbs are replaced and foggy lenses are cleaned. Replace worn-out wiper blades as well. Remember, visibility is important when driving during winter.

If all repairs and replacements have been done, consider giving your car exterior some waxing to protect its paint against the elements and salt. Yes, salt. It is often used to melt snow. Traces of salt can attach to your car and cause rust holes. If you have protective wax, however, you can prevent salt from damaging your vehicle.

You also have to take care of your car’s interior. Check if everything is working and apply the necessary fixes. Equip it with quality, all-weather floor mats to prevent melted snow from damaging your car’s flooring.

Prepare Your Car Battery

The cold weather can also affect the efficiency of your vehicle’s battery. The Family Handyman suggests using a computerized battery tester to check if your battery, starter, and entire charging system are working properly. If all is well, clean up your battery’s terminals next. Then, spray it with a battery terminal protectant.

Include Some Essentials

Winter preparedness also involves having the right essentials in your car. In case of an emergency while driving, you’ll have something to rely on.

Include some water, first-aid kit, flashlight, blanket, and flares in your essential kit. Make sure that your car’s toolbox is also present and complete. And, make sure you have all the spare tires and bulbs you need.

Follow these tips when preparing your vehicle for the cold months and keep you safe from winter hazards.