Is Your Car Winter-Ready?

If you recently moved to the St. Peters, Missouri area from down south, or you are a younger driver, you almost certainly do not have lots of experience traveling in the snow. Winter driving isn't something that you ought to take on without the proper knowledge, both on how to drive and the way to prepare. However, even if you're a veteran motorist in St. Peters, St. Charles, O'Fallon, or Lake St. Louis, Missouri, your car should be prepared for the dangerous winter roads every single year. It’s not enough to understand that you need to brake sooner or pulse them, be sure that your whole vehicle is winterized and ready to go. To achieve this, Jungerman CARSTAR in St. Peters, Missouri has put together this checklist to ensure that your car is snow-ready!

Obviously, your brakes are specifically important when you are driving on roads that may have snow, ice, or that slushy half-snow stuff. If you think that your brakes might be malfunctioning for any reason, get them checked by a dependable auto body repair mechanic as soon as possible. Ensure that you know whether your brakes are anti-lock or not. If they are anti-lock, utilize your braking system normally if you are feeling the car beginning to slide. If you do not have anti-lock, tap your brakes instead of holding them down. It goes contrary to what you will really want to do, but it is the best way to regain control over your vehicle.

Check your tires to make certain that you'll receive the grip that you need to have from them. To do this, you do not have to get a complicated gauge to tell you if your tires do not have adequate tread. You just need a penny. Just stick the penny in the tread in several different locations on the tire. Make sure that Lincoln’s head is going in the direction of the tire. If Lincoln’s head touches the tire, your tires have sufficient tread. If the top of Lincoln’s head doesn't touch the tire, you need to get better tires.

Naturally, you will need to have a functioning heater and defroster system. This isn't simply for your own comfort and ease though. If the front and rear defrosters aren't working, you will need to take your motor vehicle to an auto body shop so that you can have maximum visibility on winter roads.

Many men and women neglect that batteries are an important part of preparing your vehicle for winter. The connection to the battery ought to be clean, tightly affixed to the battery, and devoid of corrosion. Be certain that the mounting on the battery is properly secured. Most batteries that are 3 years old or over ought to be tested to ascertain if you have to have it replaced.

The best thing that you can do to arrange your vehicle for winter is to take it to a reliable St. Peters, Missouri mechanic and ask them to look at things such as the hoses, belts, anti-freeze, and exhaust system. If your hoses or belts are weak, the cold conditions could affect them and leave you stranded. Having inadequate anti-freeze will damage your cooling system after extensive use. If your exhaust system has leakages in it, dangerous carbon monoxide gas could get into the cab of the car. Specifically if you get stranded someplace and you want to run the heater to remain warm, this can be incredibly dangerous. As a side note for if you're stranded, ensure that a window is cracked and your tail pipe is free of snow and ice to provide the carbon monoxide gas someplace to go.

Be sure that you have sufficient washer fluid as well. Winter driving is characterized by lots of that slushy, muddy stuff. Washer fluid boosts your visibility, which is always a good thing.

You might have noticed how vendors carry specialized rubber-coated windshield wiper blades that are particularly made for snowy weather conditions. Regardless of how good of shape your windshield wipers are in, consider buying these snow-blades. They're perfect for handling the additional weight of snow that they'll have to handle.

Lastly, keep adequate gas in your vehicle's gas tank. The general rule is to not have less than half of a tank at any time. Definitely, that depends on your specific automobile, but following this rule can help you make certain that your fuel lines don't freeze.

Jungerman CARSTAR in St. Peters, MO see a lot of vehicles that were not ready for winter come through their auto body repair shop. I hope this information has offered you an idea of how to prepare your vehicle for the hazardous conditions of winter. Still, it's a given that even the most seasoned seasonal driver with the most well-prepared vehicle can wind up in an auto body accident in St. Peters, MO. If that is how it is for you, I really hope you'll think about going to Jungerman CARSTAR.