Preparing Your Car for Summer

Summer is just around the corner, and it’s time to get you car ready for it. Winters can be hard on them, especially in areas that get a lot of snow and ice. If your area is one of them, you should have been washing your car often, but chances are you weren’t. No one really thinks about going to the car wash when it’s freezing out, but it’s actually a really good thing to do if you do a lot of driving in snow and ice. The salt and chemicals they use to melt them can wreck havoc on your car’s undercarriage and paint. So if you haven’t washed your car all winter, now is the time to do so. Wash it thoroughly, including the undercarriage. Once it’s clean, inspect it carefully for any signs of rust or damage. If you find any, take care of it now before it gets any worse. Trust us, if you don’t, it will mean you’ll pay dearly with very costly repairs. After you’ve cleaned everything, check your spark plugs and fluids, and change your air filter. Check your fan belt too and replace it if it looks frayed or damaged. Inspect your tires too! If you have snow tires on, swap them out for all season radials. If not, look your tires over carefully for bald treads, nail and other punctures, and general stability. Do they look like they’ve got bubbles on them? That’s a sign that they are dangerously overinflated. Use a tire gauge to check each tire and have them rotated as well.

This is also a good time to check your windshield. They take a lot of abuse out there on the road.  Wash it and give it a good look. Do you see any chips? If so arrange to get them fixed right away. Most insurance companies will cover it. Failing to do so could result in that tiny chip becoming a big crack, and something as simple as going over a bump could cause it. If your windshield looks good, go ahead and change the windshield wiper blade. This is a big safety issue too. Old blades often have a build up of road grime on them and this keeps them from clearing your windshield properly. This would obviously be a big problem in a storm!  Finally, have your car inspected to make sure it passes emissions, and enjoy summer!