Car preparation and winter driving tips

It may not be ideal, but it’s true: winter weather can be hard on your car, SUV or truck. If you want to make sure that your car is prepared and safe this winter, then you need to follow some important car preparation and winter driving tips:

1. If your vehicle is stuck on ice, or just can’t seem to get traction on those wintry roads, then you’ll want to have sand or kitty litter on hand, to get yourself unstuck and back on the road.
2. Your windshield wipers are one of your greatest assets when it comes to dealing with snow and ice. When there’s snow accumulation, snowfall, rain or sleet, you need your wipers working properly. As part of your proper winter care, make sure that the washer fluid in your wipers is full, and that it has the correct mixture so that the fluid won’t freeze.
3. Have a technician check your antifreeze (AKA coolant) levels for your engine, to make sure that they’re at the right temperature to protect the engine. Getting your coolant flushed and drained and the radiator filled during the winter season will help to keep the system protected.
4. Is your car all-wheel drive or four wheel drive? It’s important to know, as you drive during the winter months. All wheel drive vehicles have the system on at all times, whereas four wheel drive vehicle drivers need to engage their transfer case first.

Those are some of the big things to keep in mind with your vehicle as the winter weather hits, but even smaller things like knowing where you heated mirror button is located – if you’ve got one – can become very important in bad weather. Know your vehicle, how it can handle and perform in adverse conditions, and make sure you get it serviced before winter weather strikes and you’ll have a much easier time out there on difficult winter roads.