Is Your Car Ready For Winter?
In Oklahoma Fall is here and Winter is it’s way! Cold weather can be very hard on your Vehicle. It is very important to make sure that you vehicle is ready when the cold hits. This helps to ensure that you don’t end up stranded in the cold. We find that there are three things that are most important when Preparing Your Vehicle For Winter. Number one is the Battery. Cold weather is Extremely hard on Car Batteries. As the temperature falls so does the Voltage of your Battery. Many times if a Battery is close to failure a cold snap will push it over the edge. We recommend testing the battery with a Load Tester to check its overall condition. We also check the age of the battery. On average a Car Battery last around 3-4 years. If your Battery is 3 years old and Winter is coming, it may be a good idea to replace it.
Next, we find it very important to check your Coolant or Antifreeze. Coolant is the main fluid that keeps your Engine running at Normal Temperatures. Once your engine is at temp the Thermostat opens to allow the Coolant to pass through the Radiator. This cools the Coolant down so when it is recirculated through the engine it keeps the engine cool. We test Engine Coolant for two main things. First, the freeze point. Good coolant can be safe to around -50 Degrees Fahrenheit. If Coolant isn’t protected this low you run the risk of having it freeze. This can cause Several different issues in your vehicle including causing major leaks. Second, we check for acidity. Coolant can actually become corrosive if not serviced at regular intervals. This can cause damage inside the engine. Here are a couple pictures of tests on a Coolant System.
Finally, Tires. For the average driver in Oklahoma, we recommend an All-Season tire. They provide adequate traction in many different weather conditions. With only a few snowy days per year specific snow tires are not generally needed. Any tire, however, when worn below their recommended tread wear, to not handle these conditions well. We recommend replacing your tires when tread is at or below 4/32”. This ensures that your Tires will handle water and snow properly. You don’t want to get caught in a snow storm with Slick tires. Below is comparison between a tire that needs to be replaced and one that has some tread life left. Which one would you want on your car when it starts snowing.
At Priebe’s Auto Clinic and Tire Center we check each of these at every visit. This is a part of our Complementary Preventative Maintenance Inspection. Whether you need an Oil Change or Have a Leak, give us a call at 405-225-2007 and we will Check your Car for Winter at no addition charge.
