Winter is here for many unless you live in the south. King GM want’s you to know there are a lot of things to take in consideration during the cold winter weather. For many vehicle owners, winter weather can mean bad news.
Vehicles are used to being driven and resting in heat and humidity, so once the cold hits, it can take a toll on vehicles. Knowing ahead of time what can happen, so you can prepare for it helps not only you out, but your car in the long run. Here are a few things that can happen to your car in colder weather:
Thickened Car Fluids
The cold weather can make your car’s fluids thicken like maple syrup. The thicker they are the more difficult for them to move more freely. To avoid this, warming your car up before driving can get the fluids warm and moving around.
Rock Salt and Your Car
Rock salt, like ice melt, can be very damaging to your car, in many different ways. Rock salt can even be more damaging to your paint such as chips, dents and it causes rusting as it eats away at your paint. The best way to handles rock salt, is to wash your car as often as possible during the winter. Getting rid of as much of the salt residue as you can for the best way possible to prevent rust.
Under Inflated Tires
Colder weather makes tire pressure drop. Tires that are not properly inflated can lose their traction thus making it hard to drive safely especially during the winter. With every 10 degrees that drops, 1 pound per square inch is lost in tires. It is very crucial you get your tires checked for the up coming weather, or think about getting snow tires. Not only will the pressure of your tires be affected, but driving through snow and ice can cause some wear and tear on your tires, if you don’t check up on them they can wear unevenly, and make it very dangerous to drive.
Frozen Doors
Waking up in the morning getting ready for work or getting the kids ready for school, being on a time frame then finally going to leave and you find out your car doors are frozen shut. This can result in being late for school or work, or being back tracked on your schedule for the day trying to pull open your doors. To avoid something like this, pay attention to the weather especially for the night, temperatures drop at night significantly. When you notice the weather is going to be rather cold that night, try cleaning the entire door frame to help remove any dirt or debris. Within the dirt and debris can be moisture than can freeze your door shut once the weather gets colder. You can even use a rubber conditioner to lubricate the rubber seals around your door frame to repel water, so it won’t freeze.
Frozen Wipers
You may have seen people leaving their windshield wipers up when they are not driving their car. They do this because, the cold and snow can freeze them to your windshield. If you try and pull it off it can rip the wipers and leave a portion stuck to your windshield. Not should you put up the wipers, but also clean the windshield, so when the wipers are used they won’t be torn or the wiper transmissions won’t break from over working to clear your window.
These are just a few things can you should keep an eye out for during the season to come. You’ve got to stay safe while driving in the winter.
Speak Your Mind