Winter Car Care To Keep You Safe

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*This post is sponsored by Reedman-Toll Fiat in Langhorne, PA*

I’m sooo over winter at this point.  When I left for work this morning it was 1 degree, seriously 1.  We already have a few inches of snow hanging around and the news stations can’t make up their mind about what we’re getting tonight.  I heard 2-4 inches of snow and ice.  My husband told me we’re supposed to get up to 6 inches.  Oh well, what can we do, can’t stop it, just prepare for it.  I was driving last night to pick my boys up from their dads house and decided to snap a pic with my phone.  Don’t worry I was at a stop light, I don’t do that when I’m driving.

Blech, the lines are gone, there was ice under that snow, and some people choose to go way too fast for conditions in my opinion. Not me though, I was driving about 15-20 mph at points last night.  When temperatures are like this though you want to make sure you take care of your cars needs.  The last thing you want is for your car to break down when the weather is like this.  It’s one of my worst winter fears, to break down in weather like this with my little ones in the car.  So here are my winter care care tips.

–If you have a newer car make sure you’re going for your routine service check ups for your car.  New cars will often have so many you have to do in a time frame anyway to keep your warranty.  Even if you have a used car like mine it’s a good idea to have your vehicle checked before the bad weather starts.

–Don’t ignore the check engine light.  I know that light is scary.  It about gives me a heard attack every time I see it.  Places like Autozone can use a code reader to tell you whats wrong with your car for free. Your local mechanic or a dealership like www.fiatusaoflanghorne.com can do them to but they may charge a small fee.  This actually just happened to me last week.  My check engine light came on for the first time in 5 years that I owned the car.  My car didn’t seem like it had as much power and seemed to be making a funny sound.  I, of course, thought the worst but my husband took it to get the code read.  It ended up just being the antifreeze sensor which was a $15 part and my father in law put it in for free.  Now my car is running fine.  It’s amazing what a small part can do to your car.

–Make sure all your fluids are filled.  Anti-freeze is of course important but don’t forget about your windshield washer fluid.  I use mine constantly in this weather with the salt on the roads.  Be sure to check your oil.  When the temps get really low, like below 15 make sure you have at least a quarter tank of gas in your vehicle because it’s possible for the fuel to freeze at those temps.

–Starting your car about 10 minutes ahead of time before you leave when the temps are low.  Not only will it get the car warm for you and start melting any ice on the windshields but it’s good for your car too.  Cold starts can use more power from the battery.

–Have your battery power level checked.  In the cold weather the battery can drain a little faster.  Again a lot of the chain auto parts  stores or your dealership can check this for you.

–Washing your car when possible including the undercarriage.  Salt or ash on the road is necessary to make driving safe for everyone one but it can do some damage to the cars exterior if it’s allowed to sit on their all winter.  When it’s really cold a lot of car washes will close but when the they’re open its a good idea to take your through and make sure to include the undercarriage wash to rinse off all that salt so it doesn’t eat at the metal on your car.

That’s all my tips for now.  If you have any winter car care tips, feel free to share them in the comments!

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Author: Angie

Mom, blogger, social media influencer, healthcare worker View all posts by Angie