Winter is finally winding down and Spring does seem to be in the air. As the sunshine returns and the temperatures begin to rise it’s a good time to spend a little time with your vehicle, ensuring it’s ready to make the transition as well. Here are six simple tips to help you care for your vehicle as winter makes way for spring.
Time for a Wash and Wax
One of the most important things you can do for your car right now is give it a very thorough wash and wax. Winter driving results in vehicles being practically coated in dirt, dust and salt that has been splashed up from the road on a daily basis for the last few months.
Not only does this look ugly but all of that debris can actively eat away at paint finishes and even the body of the vehicle itself, leading to rust and potentially permanent damage to other components.
Spring Clean Your Vehicle’s Interior
No doubt you are at least thinking about giving your home a spring clean. While you have all your cleaning supplies out giving the interior of your vehicle the same treatment is a good idea as well. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how nice it is to have a cleaner, better smelling car to start a new season with.
Check Tire Pressures
The colder winter air does tend to play havoc with a vehicle’s tire pressures and most of us find ourselves reinflating them far more frequently during the winter. As the weather warms tire pressures do tend to increase on their own, often leaving everything dangerously unbalanced.
Get your vehicle’s manual out and ensure that all four tires are inflated to their specifications and, if you find it difficult to do that by yourself there is no shame in asking an auto mechanic to help you it right.
Check Your Wiper Blades
Winter can be very hard on your windshield wipers. Often after a winter’s use, they are not in the best shape at all. At a minimum, they’ll need a good cleaning, but replacing them all together is often a better idea. There are all those April showers still left to come and you need a good set of wipers to handle those.
Get Under the Hood
Even if your vehicle seems to be running fairly well there could be trouble lurking under the hood caused by months of low temperatures. Cold weather can make belts and hoses very brittle and should they snap once the weather warms you – and your vehicle – could be in big trouble. This means that a visit to your local automotive shop really is a good idea, even if you think your car doesn’t really need it right now.
Get Things Realigned
Another reason to make that tune-up appointment is the fact that bumpy winter driving may very well have left your vehicle’s alignment out of whack. It’s usually a simple fix for an experienced mechanic but spending the spring driving with a bad alignment can do serious damage to both your tires and your vehicle’s suspension, leading to more complex, and more expensive, fixes further down the line.
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