13 Feb Prepare Your Car for the Winter

Cold temperatures and harsh weather can be a recipe for disaster on the roads of Long Island. At the time when the roads are perhaps the most hazardous, you can only hope that your car is equipped to get you to your destination safely. Annually, over 1300 people are killed and over 100,000 are injured in winter weather related accidents. But it’s not just the icy roads that cause these accidents, winter weather can sometimes have an effect on the efficiency of our cars to run safely. Here are some of the top things to look out for to make sure your car is prepared to drive in the winter.

Keep Your Battery in Check

Having a dead battery is always annoying. But there’s a twofold reason why it’s especially important to keep in eye on your battery in the winter. Firstly, being stuck with a dead battery on a sunny spring day is not as troubling as being stranded in the dead of winter. Secondly, your car battery uses much more power at lower temperatures. Therefore, your chances of having a dead battery is actually greater in the wintertime.

Comparatively, your car uses about half as much power in 80ºF versus 0ºF. So having a well running battery is more important during colder weather. Keep this in mind when you are turning your car on. If your car seems slow or “tired” when starting, you may need to get the battery serviced. Sometimes the battery needs a simple charge and sometimes an older battery (4-5 years old) just needs to be replaced. Always have jumper cables in your car handy. This will be vital if your battery dies and you can also be a help to someone else who needs a jump.

Visibility is Vital

Imagine this scenario. You hit the snooze button one too many times and now you are running late to work. You’re running around the house to grab everything you need, you have no time for breakfast and barely have to time to grab your coffee. You rush out the door out to the car and notice you windshield has frosted over with some ice. What do you do?

One thing you never do is drive with frost over the windshield. Even if some of the windshield is clear of ice, once the sun shines on the ice, the light can refract and can easily blind your view of the road. The best practice is to, if possible, turn your car on ahead of time so that your defroster can melt the ice. Additionally, have an ice scraper handy to make sure your view is unobstructed. In the end, it is better to wait for the ice to clear up than to drive with a frosted windshield. It is better to be a little late than to be a danger to yourself and other drivers.

When it is snowing or raining, it is imperative to have good windshield wipers. The difference that new wipers make can be drastic when it comes to visibility. Studies suggest replacing your wipers every six months to ensure they are in working order. Driving with poor wipers during extreme precipitation is like driving blind.

Check Your Oil

The winter weather can also affect your car’s engine. Cold temperatures actually cause the oil to be thicker, making it harder for the engine to turn over. Make sure you are using oil that is suitable for the winter. Additionally, you will want a good proportion of antifreeze in your engine’s coolant. For more tips on how to optimize oil changes for your car, check out this guide.

Monitor your Tires

Those roads can get very slippery. It’s at those moments that you hope you can stay under control. A big help for the most dangerous road conditions is having good tires. If you are interested in winter grade tires, keep in mind that those tend to be of limited supply after the first snowfall. However on Long Island, where we get snow for only part of the year, a couple of all-season tires should suffice.

Use the “penny test” to see if your tires need to be replaced. The top of Abraham Lincolns head should be hidden in the grooves of your tires otherwise it is time to be replaced. It is always safer to have all four tires replaced at the same time if possible.

Also, be on top of your tire pressure. Tire pressure may drop if the temperature drops. So take note if your car tells you your pressure is low and get them properly inflated. Finally, keep a roadside emergency kit and a spare if you do get a flat.

Being on top of your car is more vital in the winter than any other time of year. It requires a little more preparation, but can definitely reduce your chances of getting in a car accident during the winter months.