Winterize Your Car for the Cold Season

Local auto experts give motorists tips on preparing their vehicles for the snow and freezing temperatures this winter.

Top Tech Auto Repair employees say preventative measures are the most effective way to keep your wheels up and running this winter.

Plummeting temperatures and rising winds beckon for more than Christmas lights and cups of hot chocolate, automobiles need tending to as well.

Extreme temperatures can wreak havoc on vehicles and getting stuck out in the snow on your way home from a recital or holiday gathering is no one's idea of a good time. So, prepare your car for the approaching cold spell.

"Get your vehicle checked over… Get your battery checked because cold weather and high heat tend to take a toll on batteries," said Rob Remick, an employee at Top Tech Auto Repair in Clawson. "Check your coolant so that it doesn't freeze.  Check your tire pressure, and your tire tread for the snow."

Preventative measures are the most effective way to keep your wheels up and running this winter, auto experts say.

Doug Salva, an owner and operator of Top Tech Auto Repairs, shared his car-winterizing checklist:

Check your oil: "If it's anywhere close to needing to be changed, do it before freezing temps. It's so important to have good oil in the cold."

Check your antifreeze: "Good antifreeze is good to at least -32 degrees Fahrenheit.  If it's not [good], it could freeze and crack the cylinder head or engine block—both very expensive to repair."

Test your battery: "If it is weak, replace it, otherwise you will need a jump start on one of those 8 degree mornings, not fun."

Check tire tread depth: "Worn out tires cause so many unnecessary accidents when the snow and ice come.  Bald tires and snow are a recipe for disaster.   I see it a lot in the winter."

Check and maintain tire air pressure: "Check the air pressure in the tires once a month.  They may need 2 or 3 psi because of the cold weather.  Anything more than that and you have a leak."

Check your air and fuel filters: "Clogged filters can cause hard or no starts on those -1 degree (Fahrenheit) mornings."

Top off washer fluid; Check windshield wipers and washer squirters:  "[They should be] checked for proper operation.  Nothing worse than not being able to see when you got salt smeared on your windshield."

Let your engine warm up: "Whenever it is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below, it's very important to let the engine run for at least 2 minutes, 5 minutes is preferable.  It's very important, especially on older vehicles, for the fluids to get flowing, and as a bonus, after five minutes your heater should be starting to produce some good heat."

"For our customers, we check these things every time they're in for service," Salva said. "The last thing I ever want is a customer stuck in the cold at six in the morning"