Auto Trends

With Old Man Winter on his way, soon much of our country will be dealing with freezing temperatures, just the “right” conditions to put a lot of strain on your car. Maybe this winter will not be as bad as forecasters expect, but hoping for the best won’t ensure that your car is ready for the season’s wrath.

Your car’s battery needs to be inspected to see if it is ready for winter driving. Advances in technology has made “maintenance free” batteries standard equipment on almost every vehicle built today, but even that term can be inaccurate: you still need to perform proper and regular maintenance.

Three Steps To Car Battery Maintenance

Fortunately, battery maintenance isn’t all that difficult to do, so let’s examine the steps you can take to  keep your car running even as winter’s fury rages:

1. Clean the cables. Disconnect the cables from the battery and clean them with a wire brush that has been soaked in a homemade mixture combining one tablespoon of baking soda with one cup of water. Use this same mixture to clean off the top of the battery; use a clean, small paint brush to apply the solution where needed.

2. Lubricate the posts. A small dab of petroleum jelly on each post will help keep your cables clean and corrosion free longer. Additionally, the jelly will make it easier for you to slip the cables back onto the battery.

3. Check connections. Besides the connection between the cable and the posts, make sure that the battery hold down bar is firmly in place. Not all cars have nor do they need a battery hold down bar, but if yours comes equipped with one, you will need to put it back in its rightful place.

Check Your Battery At Least Once Annually

Car battery maintenance is an easy and brief project, one that should be performed at least once annually. By keeping your battery properly maintained, you will extend its useful life and greatly cut down the possibility that your battery will experience an ill-timed failure. Certainly, the “maintenance free” description is quite accurate, so don’t be lulled into forgetting this all-important automotive maintenance procedure.

Very soon, much of the nation will be in the icy grip of Old Man Winter, a season that promises to supply us with plenty of cold air, ice and snow. If we’re fortunate enough, we’ll have a rather tame few months, with warmer air keeping the worst of the season’s fury at bay.

Regardless of just how this Winter turns out, your car should be ready to withstand the worst of nature’s fury. Your tires, which play a significant role in keeping your car on the road and moving, need to be ready for the months ahead. Not surprising, many drivers just do not check their tires often enough, putting themselves, their passengers, and other motorists at risk.

Check Your Tires At Least Once Monthly

You’ve heard the recommendation before: check your tires at least once a month to find out if they have enough air and are safe to drive on. Regular check ups can help you determine if your tires need to be serviced or replaced. Most flats can be handled and repaired, but if you have a blow out or most of the tread is gone, then you need new tires.

Worn tires are a hazard, a potential safety problem that can cause an accident, injuring or even killing you. Most states regulate tire wear as a tire with not enough tread depth is prone to skidding, a common enough event during the Winter months.

The Abe Lincoln Test

One way that drivers can determine if their tires are worn and in need of replacement is to invite Abe Lincoln to a test. Specifically, a Lincoln penny placed in the shallow tread grove with his head down will reveal whether there is enough tread left or not.

If the top of Lincoln’s head remains visible, then the tire doesn’t have enough tread and should be replaced.

The Wear Bar Test

Another way to check for wear is to look for those narrow bands that appear inside the grooves crossing the tire’s tread. Wear bars are not seen until the tires have been worn down (hence its name). When the wear bars appear, your tires should be replaced.

Of course, if you aren’t sure if your tires need replacing or would prefer that someone else take a look for you, most tire stores offer a free brake inspection and check your tires too. Be safe this Winter and put “tire checking” on your list of safety items to inspect on a regular basis.