Winter, much like summer, is equal parts good and bad—for people that is. For cars in the True North, however, winters are especially harsh. Indeed, the situation is bad enough that your ride needs to be prepped for the season beforehand or risk facing frequent breakdowns.
Driving in severe weather in general may be nerve-racking for many of us. However, if you are still concerned about your old automobile not withstanding the effects of the weather, it is never too late to auto finance or acquire a new car with simple car financing in Canada. If you find yourself in this scenario, go to Canada Prime Autos and purchase yourself a new automobile, then drive safely.
Here are winter car maintenance tips through which you can avoid any unpleasant surprises when the weather turns downright frigid.
KEEP A FULLY STOCKED EMERGENCY KIT
In the likely case that your vehicle breaks down in the middle of nowhere, having a fully charged phone—that you can use to call for help—would help a great deal. However, who knows how long the cavalry might take to arrive?
When that happens, an emergency kit would serve as a good back up. Not only will it keep you warm and well-fed, it might just be all the help you need to get your car back up and running. Here’s a checklist of items that make up a good kit:
- Blanket
- Flashlight
- Non-perishables
- Water
- Spare batteries
- Jumper cables
- First aid kit
- Tire chain
- Shovel
- Sand/Salt
- A change of warm clothes
TIME FOR A TIRE CHANGE
The cold brings with it the need for winter tires as they provide more grip on icy roads than their regular counterparts. It is also important to frequently check tire pressure because they are bound to lose some as the temperature drops. Tires with less than the optimum level of air are vulnerable to wear and tear, which means your car may underperform or—if worse comes to worst—end up in an accident. Additionally, make sure you have a spare in the trunk in case of emergencies.
MAKE SURE THE WIPERS ARE UP TO SCRATCH
By your second winter as a licensed car driver in North America, you will have learned the hard way to leave the wipers up during the night, as it stops them from sticking to the windshield.
However, that’s not all that there is to it. Wipers need to be changed biannually as they start to leave streaks of water across the windshield around the six-month mark. It would probably be wise to replace them with special blades that stop any snow and ice from accumulating on them.
While we are on the topic, let us also recommend changing up your windshield wiper liquid as well for something more suitable to colder climes as there is nothing more bothersome—or risky—than driving around in a blizzard with poor visibility.
CHECK AND RECHECK YOUR BATTERY
Car batteries tend to suffer quite a bit during this season. They will be working just fine one day and fail to start your vehicle as soon as there is so much as a chill in the air. For this reason, it is better to be safe rather than sorry. Get them checked by your trusted expert post haste, so they can charge and—if they are over five years old and taking more than ten seconds to start the car—replace them with a new one. Or you can send them in for repairs. This includes anything from replacing their rubber hose to replenishing water levels.
SEE TO YOUR CAR OIL SITUATION
Your vehicle oil needs to be at optimum levels for the onslaught of winter. Not only that, you need to make sure it is just the right consistency. If not, replace it as soon as possible and while you are at it, check up on that oil filter. Clean it up or, if necessary, get a new one.
As for car oil type, there are two ways you can go about this.
- Use the kind recommended by the company; even better if that type happens to have a more winter-friendly version.
- Go for one that is recommended for winter use as the cold makes regular car oil so dense your ride will never leave the lot.
THE FLUIDS CALL TO YOU
It’s entirely possible to run out of windshield washing fluid when driving in stormy weather. Keep some more on standby in case that happens.
As for coolant, that needs to be company recommended, changed every couple of years, and contain antifreeze and water in just the right amount to save your car’s engine from getting overheated.
Make sure both your engine oil and gas tanks are full and clean before you brave a snowy ride, as those are prone to traffic buildups.
Enter the notorious Canadian winters armed with these set of instructions and you have nothing to worry about. Well, almost. Some other stuff to think about—car maintenance-wise—includes getting your brakes and heater checked for damages and radiator for anti-freeze levels. Have that and all the rest of it down pat and you are ready to drive into the frigid Northern sunset.
Have covered all the winter maintenance objectives but still not sure whether to buy a new car or drive the same old one which was making static noise when the last snowstorm happened? Don’t worry, CPA is here to help. We provide customized Canada auto financing and can get you into your ideal automobile from a variety of dealerships that have the lending resources you need to get into a vehicle – even if you have a bad credit.
Simply fill out our quick, free, and easy auto loan request form to begin the process of selecting your next automobile now. After that leave it on to us for getting you in contact with the right dealer and getting your car arrive at your doorstep!
