Winterize Your Car for Safe Winter Driving

We all know what the winter can bring: sleet, snow, ice, and low visibility conditions that can not only make driving treacherous; they can make driving downright frightening. In order to be able to handle these winter driving conditions with the best possible advantage, it’s important that you winterize your car.

When you winterize your car, you’ll prepare the engine, brakes, wires, and more for cold winter conditions, decreasing the risk that you’ll have a mid-winter break down that could turn dangerous. Here are our tips for winterizing your car for safe winter driving:

Know What Winter Driving Is

Winter driving is when you have to drive in temperatures that are less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It is common for Canadian drivers to drive daily in winter driving conditions. However, just because you are accustomed to driving in tough winter conditions doesn’t mean that you can overlook the safety precautions recommended for winter driving. After all, it only takes one mistake to turn a common winter driving condition into an extremely unsafe situation.

Check On Your Car

Have a qualified mechanic (such as our mechanics) check out your car as you prepare for winter driving conditions. We’ll check the following components for safety and winterization:

• Battery
• Tires (we’re looking to see if they have the proper amount of air and tread, and that they have only minimal wear, if any at all)
• Antifreeze
• Antifreeze connectors
• Distributor
• Fuel and emission filters
• PCV valve
• Spark plugs
• Brakes
• Wires
• Hoses and fan belts

Essential Winter Driving Equipment

Even if you don’t plan to be stranded or get into trouble when you drive this winter, it’s always a good idea to prepare for the “what ifs.” Here are some of the things that we think you should definitely have in your car as you head into the winter (note: these aren’t an option):

• Spare tire, wheel wrench, and tire jack. Make sure the tire is inflated and in good condition.
• Shovel
• Jumper cables (take a refresher course on how to use them if you don’t already know)
• Tire chains
• Tow chains (especially if your vehicle can tow another vehicle)
• Bag of cat litter to help provide traction when there’s ice
• Tools, including a wrench, emergency radio, and extra batteries
• Warm clothes and blankets

Remember, winterizing your car will help you to stay safe as you take on winter driving this year. Contact Scott Kia today at www.scottkia.ca to schedule an appointment to have your car serviced for the winter. We also offer new and used cars in Red Deer, parts and financing. Come see the difference at Scott Kia today! And don’t forget about our specials on both new and used cars in Red Deer.

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