Getting your vehicle properly ready for the coming winter means a number of things. Here are the top ten things you should be doing before the snow is around to stay.
- Clean your car thoroughly. Nothing is worse than shivering outside in the cold trying to vaccum at one of those pay vaccum cleaners. Take the time on one of the milder days to give your car a good cleaning in preparation for the coming season.
- Get your oil, battery and other fluids checked. When it’s below freezing nobody wants to be outside stranded on the side of the road with a blown out belt, hose or spark-plug.
- Make sure you have the right antifreeze and the right oil in your car. Did you know there are different oil formulas for winter and summer? Winter oil has the correct viscocity for optimal performance when temperatures that plummet below zero.
- Keep your gas tank and your windshield wiper fluid as full as possible. Gas below half full in the winter can create condensation resulting in gas line freeze ups.
- Keep some emergency supplies in the car just in case. The recent flash snowstorm in Buffalo that dumped two and half metres of snow in 24 hours left hundreds stranded in their cars across the region. Some for up to a day! For your safety keep a blanket, hats, gloves, a flashlight, some candies or energy bars and a phone charger on hand. Not a bad idea to program the phone number of a local tow company into your cellphone’s directory as well – just in case.
- Clean off the car of snow completely before driving away. Nothing is more hazardous for winter driving than being blinded by blowing snow; from Mother Nature or from the car in front of you. Make sure that you are brushing off your licence plate, hood, roof, headlamps and rear signal lights as well.
- Winter tires are worth the money. If you must drive in the winter ensure that you have proper winter tires installed on your car. Winter tires are made of a more flexible rubber that grip the ground better in freezing temperatures. Before the substantial winter snow arrives is the perfect time to get them installed on your vehicle.
- If you do decide to stick with all-season tires, make sure that your tire pressure is correct for your vehicle. This also helps with getting a better bang for your buck in the gas tank.
- Slow down! Even with winter tires installed, giving yourself an extra ten to fifteen minutes to get where you need to be is also worth the investment.
- Consider staying home if the weather is bad. In times of extreme snowfall sometimes taking a raincheck and keeping safe at home is the better bet.
Tim’s Tire and Tim’s Towing have been serving the Haldimand-Norfolk area since 1996 and they are the largest tire shop in the area. For fast service and for all your winter tire needs the friendly staff are available to answer all your questions. Tim’s Tire is located at 97 Main Street South in Hagersville and open Monday – Friday 7:30am to 5:00pm and on Saturdays from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Visit them on the web www.timstire.ca for more information.