5 Things Your Car Needs in Winter

5 Basic Things Your Car Needs All Winter

In addition to your car is mechanically sound, we’ve identified 5 things your car absolutely needs in winter. Some of them might seem like a no-brainer, but winter brings on additional hazards to your driving safety. Wintertime is not the most favorable or best time of the season to run out of gas or get a flat tire – especially if that blizzard snowstorm catches you stuck in traffic or spinning your wheels as you slide inexorably into a ditch. Are you sure you are ready for winter?

Winter Emergency Kit

There are many items to keep in your car at all times. However, in a winter emergency, we recommend that you have these extra items to supplement the ones that you should already have. Using tire chains are optional. Tire chains can definitely help you gain additional traction while traversing the snow and they can really make a huge difference when driving on slick, snow-packed roads. In conjunction with your tire chains, we highly recommend that you keep these essential items on your person. First, we recommend keeping boots along with an extra coat handy. These items will help your body maintain body heat as you continue on in the cold. Likewise, you should bring along a hat, gloves, and a blanket. For your vehicle, you should consider bringing a bag of kitty litter can help your car gain traction if you are stuck in a particularly icy or slick spot. In addition, a shovel in your trunk can help you scatter the litter or clear a pathway for your vehicle. Pointed garden or flat edge coal shovels are good for digging in, around, and even under your car if you’re stuck. Flares are good day or night, as they call attention to your position and situation, particularly in bad weather. In today’s day and age, you should keep a phone charger cord or portable charger in the glove box. Along with some cash you should always bring along some dry food. In dire winter situations, the best things you could bring are protein bars, water, trail mix, or some other filling, high energy snack is a good thing to have just in case you become stranded. Like in any situation, food is necessary and you should never leave home with some reserves.

Antifreeze (AKA coolant)

Without antifreeze, the water in your radiator will freeze when the engine is cold. Even if you get the engine started, the antifreeze/coolant won’t be able to circulate and cool the engine as it gets hot. Also, when water freezes, it expands – which means it can crack your radiator and/or hoses. Not good. Do your car and yourself a favor and take good care of your radiator.

Wiper Fluid

Keep your wiper fluid reservoir full. Check it or top it off every time you stop for gas. Don’t leave it to your memory or judgment (“I haven’t used that much… only one or two times in the past month…”). If you think of it, make a point of checking it. And use the lowest temperature tolerance fluid you can find so it doesn’t freeze and become useless. Some of the coldest days can still be the messiest on the roads, as salt and grime and slush can combine for quite a soup to land on your windshield as that semi passes.

Tires

Four of them, preferably. With enough tread to maintain traction on wet pavement, push through snow and slush, and not leave you spinning your wheels at intersections or on inclines. Stick a penny with Lincoln’s head upside down into the tread groove. If you can see all of his head, it’s time for new tires. Also, check their pressure. You want to make sure they are properly inflated for optimal winter performance, because air contracts when it’s cold, which means it requires less space – which can cause your tires to seem deflated in cold weather. Your best bet is to keep your tires consistently inflated per manufacturer recommendations year-round.

Spare Fuel

Last, but not least, keep your gas tank full if you can. Don’t let it go below a quarter tank. If you get stuck in traffic or become stranded, more fuel means more idling & heater time. You’ll be glad you had that extra bit of fuel to get you through the rough times and safely home.

Bonus Items and Tips!

Investing in a new ice scraper is a very underrated, but valuable thing to do. In Colorado, we tend to forget that winter-like conditions occur within minutes. We can truly never be too sure that our weather will remain stable. That is why we definitely recommend that you replace that old, worn-out ice scraper and snow brush! It’s easier than replacing the credit card and much more effective than trying to do scrape ice with your car’s windshield wipers. That’s not what they are made for. You’ll look like a winter driving expert with your windows clear like the snow never happened. Similarly, it is best to keep a bottle of liquid de-icer in your trunk. Not only does it assist you while scrapping, but it does wonders and makes it a lot easier to cut through and scrape off that half-inch layer of frozen water.

Get a Professional Opinion

Be prepared. Survive the winter. Be smart about it. Another surefire way to ensure that your vehicle is in peak performance for the winter is to come to your local AAMCO Colorado store for a complete Courtesy Vehicle Check. We offer a free Vehicle Courtesy Check along with our courtesy vehicle check. From there, we’ll help you keep your car running reliably so you won’t have to worry about whether your car will start in the next cold snap, or if you’ll weather the next blizzard. If you have questions about your car’s road readiness, or about car repair and maintenance topics, AAMCO Colorado can help. You can also go online and use the AAMCO Colorado Ask a Mechanic feature to submit your auto repair questions. They will be answered by a real AAMCO Colorado mechanic as soon as possible.

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