The cold weather is upon us, and your car needs to be ready. You can protect your car during this toughest season of the year in Englewood, NJ with just a few important tips.
Start Out Right
The first step in protecting your vehicle is to ensure you get a safety inspection from your local dealership before the season begins. This should help you avoid any unpleasant surprises on those really cold days, which are the last days you want the tire to blow out, a line to start leaking, or to discover that your brakes aren’t in the condition they should be.
Keep It Covered
One of the kindest things you can do for your vehicle is to keep it covered and out of the stormy weather. If you have a garage, use it. If you don’t, you can buy covers that will fit directly over your car and driveway tents that act like a garage and will help keep your vehicle safe.
Keep It Washed
There is nothing more damaging to a vehicle than salt, and the salt on the roads during the winter season is corrosive and can cause rusting. There’s going to be a lot of slush and muck being whipped up onto the bottom of your vehicle as you drive around during the winter, so be sure to get regular car washes. Getting a wash once a week and after any snowstorm will be the best protection.
Spray Your Gaskets
This is simpler than it might sound. Your gaskets are simply the rubber seals all around every place where your car opens up. This includes around the doors, the trunk, and even the little fuel door. Rubber tends to attract moisture, and in the cold, that moisture freezes. This can make it difficult or even impossible to open your door. The worst is when it keeps your little fuel door from popping open at the gas station.
All you need is a bit of silicon spray, which you can get in a big box store or at auto stores. Just spray this around on the rubber, and it should help make the rubber impervious to moisture and ensure you’re never stuck.
Keep It Topped Up
In the summer, you can run that vehicle on the fumes a lot of the time, but this is more dangerous behavior in winter. The ethanol in the fuel attracts water, which means you have a higher risk of freezing in your fuel lines. You can mitigate this risk by never allowing your fuel tank to drop below half full.
Winter is hard on your car, but an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure. Schedule a service at DARCARS Lexus of Englewood today to get a safety inspection and make sure you’re ready to go, whatever the weather.
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