Prepare your vehicle for winter weather with these tips
As many parts of the country facing frigid cold, consider your car — dead batteries and deflated tires are common in this weather. We asked experts for tips on how to brace your car for the cold.
Check your battery: “It’s my No. 1 tip,” said Dom Vitale, owner of Dom’s Auto Repair in Philadelphia. “In ice-cold weather, (batteries) lose their potency. If the battery is more than two or three years old, it’s possible that the car won’t start once temps drop.”
How to jump-start your
car: If your battery does die, having a way to recharge it is key. Here are two ways of doing so.
Jumper pack: A type of battery booster that can be as small as your wallet and comes with two cables, red and black. It lets you charge your vehicle without another car’s assistance, making it a savior if you are stranded. Connect red to red and black to black. Once the battery is charged, the indicator will turn green.
Jumper cables: Most come with an instruction card or label, but it’s always helpful to refresh your memory on how to use them. If you remember one thing, it should be to never connect the negative cable to the dead battery’s negative post.
Add air to your tires: Tires are more apt to go flat in the winter.
“When it gets cold, the air molecules condense inside the tire and drop the pressure,” said George Dieser, owner of Carl’s Haddonfield Service in Haddonfield, Pennsylvania.
Look for a sticker by the driver’s side door to find the recommended pressure for your car. If you can’t locate the sticker, refer to the owner’s manual.
Go in for a check-up: The lead-up to deep winter is possibly the best time for an overall automobile checkup — even if you don’t need an oil change. “It’s a good idea to come in twice a year and have a qualified individual take a look under the hood,” said Dieser. “Checking all of the fluids and belts can do a lot to prevent issues before it’s too late.”