Pre-winter Car Care Tips

by Jeff Stone 

When I was a child, I used to give my mom a hard time. Oh, I wasn’t the rebellious type, but I loved to throw a good-spirited verbal jab now and again. “If they stop teasin’ ya, they stop lovin’ ya”, I used to say. My mom always took it pretty well, but the best was when we’d get her to laugh at herself. My siblings and I knew we’d struck a cord when she’d have to reach for a kleenex to wipe the tears of joy from under her readers.

One “mom-ism” we couldn’t get enough of was what we referred to as “fear of lack”. We defined fear of lack as the fear of ever being anywhere and not having something you might need with you. Needless to say, it was always a joy getting in my mom’s car. I remember shifting winter boots, a sleeping bag, a road flare, some tampons and a blanket out of the way before being able to load my bag into the trunk one fall afternoon, while smiling, shaking my head and grumbling “fear of lack” under my breath.

Kidding aside, I’ve actually grown fond of how my mom was always prepared. She always cared enough to make sure we had what we needed, and who can fault her for that? Now that I’ve grown older and have children of my own, I can appreciate what she went through! I can appreciate having an extra set of undies along in case my 5-year-old can’t hold it for another mile, or a blanket to cover my 8-year-olds legs before the car warms up. As leaves fall and the temperature turns colder, keeping a pair of boots, a winter blanket, some jumper cables and a few “necessities” along doesn’t seem so silly anymore.

Fall is a great time to test your own “fear of lack” and make sure you AND your car are ready for the winter months ahead. Here are some pre-winter car care tips courtesy of Youngstedts Wayzata Goodyear.

1. Have your battery tested! - Getting caught out in the cold with a dead battery is no fun, and dangerous too! Colder temps wreak havoc on batteries and it’s a good idea to make sure it’s taking a good charge BEFORE it lets you down.
   
2. Check your tire tread depths and air pressure (including spare tire). Improperly inflated tires can cause premature wear, and low tread depths will make for poor traction in winter driving.
   
3. Check the level and strength of your engine coolant. Proper coolant level and protection is key for maintaining a well-running heating and cooling system. Also, old coolant can damage other parts of your engine if left unchecked for long periods of time.
   
4. Check your wiper blades and replace if necessary. Who wants to look out a wet and snowy windshield?
   
5. Have a winter survival kit along! Blankets, candy bars, winter clothing and some flares would all be great items to have along in case of emergency.

If you have any questions about any of these tips, or if you’d like to have a professional check anything on your vehicle before the snow flies, call or stop into a Youngstedts location near you and they can help. Youngstedts is locally family owned and operated and has been in business since 1971. Visit youngstedts.com for a list of store locations.