Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go…

‘Tis the time of year when many of us are gearing up for long road trips to visit friends and family for the holidays. Or, perhaps, we are spending way too much time stuck in our cars trying to get out of the mall parking lot. Either way, in the rush to remember all the presents, diapers for the baby, medicine for Grandpa, and whether or not you left the oven on, the condition of your vehicle often is overlooked or forgotten.

Winter driving can be some of the most stressful for you and your car. Snow, sleet, freezing rain, ice, fog, and cold temperatures can wreak havoc on the traction of your car’s tires. The longer nights mean you will be running your headlights more often and therefore draining your battery at a faster rate. Before you make that drive to the office Holiday Party or to your aunt’s house in Ohio for Christmas, make sure you winterize your vehicle. Pat Goss explains what you need to do before you hit the road this winter and how to easily prepare your vehicle for the long, cold drive ahead.

Happy Holidays from everyone at CARCHEX. To learn more about CARCHEX and to Get Protected, visit www.CARCHEX.com.

You have questions. Pat Goss has answers.

What do I need to do to prepare my car for the cold weather?

With cold weather coming on, one of the prime things you want out of your automobile is reliability and that means you start with a battery test.

Following the battery test you want to check all of the lights on the vehicle. Not so that you can see, necessarily, but so that you can be seen in the dark driving that you’ll be doing.

From there, tires. Tires have to have good tread on them. As a tire wears down, the traction goes away and it’s disproportionate to the amount of wear. In other words, you lose a lot more traction than what the tire wear would indicate.

You check all of the fluids. Make sure everything is in good condition. Also, check belts and hoses, anything that is made out of rubber. If it has some age on it, you have to pay really close attention to it.