VACCINATE YOUR CAR AGAINST THE COLD

Take these simple steps to keep your car safe and healthy through the upcoming winter.

By Joseph D. Younger
AAA of New York

Right about now, as we head into the sniffle season, everybody starts to worry about keeping nasty winter viruses at bay. Had your flu shot yet? Check. Stocked up on vitamin C, hand sanitizer and Kleenex? Check, double-check and triplecheck. Of course, your car isn’t an organism susceptible to colds and flu. But it’s certainly vulnerable to freezing temperatures and foul weather, and a little prevention will keep it running reliably. Here’s how.

  • Pay attention to foul-weather footwear. Mom told you to wear galoshes; automotive experts tell you to put on snow tires—or at least good all-season radials. “An inspection of tire tread should be a year-round practice but especially when you prepare for potentially slippery conditions,” says Todd Hershberger of Goodyear. Use a tread gauge to check the depth across the tread face—at the inside and outside edges, as well as in the center.


    New York requires tread of at least one-sixteenth of an inch deep to pass state inspection. But barely legal also means far from safe. Replace worn tires now, before the tread dips below the legal limit and when you need traction the most. If you do opt for snow tires, Hershberger recommends buying a set of four, not skimping with only two on the front wheels. Snow tires’ more aggressive tread pattern and softer rubber give them handling characteristics considerably different than regular all-season radials. For maximum control, you need the same traction and performance at all four corners of the vehicle.


  • Boost your engine’s immune system. To guard against engine-killing freeze-ups, check the level of coolant; it should reach at least the “Minimum” line on the overflow tank. Also, check the owner’s manual for the recommended change interval (two to five years, depending on the type). Although the coolant’s freeze protection remains relatively stable over time, the additives that protect against systemclogging corrosion do deteriorate.


    If you just need to top off the system, use only the coolant type recommended in your owner’s manual. Don’t use color as a guide. “A motorist might very well add yellow coolant to a pink coolant, making it orange,” says Richard Courtney, director of research and development and technical services at Prestone. “That’s okay, as long as both formulas are similar in chemical composition.” Mixing chemically different formulas might compromise the effectiveness of the corrosion-inhibiting additives.


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  • Get a full serving of juice every morning. Cold weather slows the chemical processes inside your battery, sapping it of power. At 32° F, for example, a battery loses more than a third of its maximum output; at 0° F, it loses 60 percent. That can lead to hard starts—or non-starts—on frigid mornings when you want to get to work on time.


    To ensure that your battery delivers the juice you need, inspect it before the weather gets really cold. Corrosion on the terminals interferes with power delivery; scrub it off with an old toothbrush dipped in a paste of baking soda and water. Wipe off the top of the battery, too.A thin layer of moist grime between the terminals can conduct current and allow the battery to slowly discharge while just sitting there. (Batteries produce sulfuric acid, so wear rubber gloves and eye protection and discard the toothbrush and rags immediately.)


    Although cleaning helps, it can’t save an old battery. Generally, batteries last four to five years; if yours is two years old or more, have it load tested now to find out whether it will last through the winter. Essentially, a load test simulates a coldweather start and measures the battery’s output; it takes less than 10 minutes, and most AAA Approved Auto Repair shops will do it for free.



  • Rely on decongestants. You can’t drive safely if you can’t see clearly, so consider switching to a winter windshield-wiper blade for the next few months. “Winter blades have a rubber boot that protects the metal structure from snow, ice and slush buildup,” says Brian Fisher of Federal-Mogul, a leading blade manufacturer. The boot keeps the blade flexible and in full contact with the glass for a cleaner sweep.


    Your blades will remain streak-free longer if you give them a smooth surface on which to operate. That means removing all accumulated ice and snow from the windshield before you turn on the wipers. To make scraping and brushing a lot easier, apply a glass treatment such as Aquapel or Rain-X now; it will prevent ice from sticking to the windshield. If you don’t garage your vehicle, think about pre-treating the glass with a product such as Prestone Ice & Frost Shield. Spray on the stuff when you park the car at night; ice and snow simply wipe off the next morning. Just remember that most sprayon de-icers contain ethylene glycol, a sweet-tasting poison that will kill pets and wildlife if they lap up even a little.


    Finally, you don’t want the windshield washers to get stuffed up. To prevent icy slush from forming in the lines, fill the washer tank with wintertime solvent (not the “summer formula”). The label should specify that the fluid contains methanol (wood alcohol) in a concentration high enough to prevent freezing down to -20° F.

 

 


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