1. Change the Oil and Filter: As temperature outside drops, the oil in your Toyota gets thicker. This can have adverse effects on your car such as making it harder to start, and dropping your fuel economy substantially. Its always a good idea to ensure you have clean, quality oil in your Toyota. Check with your maintenance department for their recommendation for winter oil.
2. Inspect the Antifreeze: Antifreeze can be an important part of winterizing your Toyota. Antifreeze helps keep the engine from freezing up in the winter allowing it to start, but it needs to be the right mixture. To test your antifreeze purchase an antifreeze tester from an auto parts store. Using the tester verify that the mixture is 50% coolant and 50% water. This combination will keep it from freezing even at the lowest of temperatures.
3. Check the Charging System: The battery and charging system becomes under harsh strain in the winter, and makes it harder for the battery to maintain a charge. Be sure to have your battery tested at an auto parts store to ensure that it will hold a charge. Confirming this will help keep you sure that you will be able to start your Toyota this winter.
4. Make Sure Vision is clear: One of the least changed items on a vehicle that should be is the windshield wipers. Many people put off changing these as its easy to look around the streaks. But winter can destroy windshield wipers with the snow and ice, so be sure you have new or almost new wipers to begin your winter season. Its also important to make sure that you have adequate windshield wiper fluid. One other tip that is important is to test the heat and defroster to ensure they are working properly.
5. Winter Tires: Winter tires aren’t always necessary for all. Those of us who have the All-Season tires for the most part should be alright, but otherwise or if you want a little more comfort for the winter, purchasing winter tires will help ensure your grip during the winter.
6. Check your Tire Pressure: Though many speculate that it is actually better to have slightly under-inflated tires during winter to help grip snow, this is a fallacy. Incorrect tire pressure is the largest cause of winter accidents. Under-inflated tires may help slightly in gripping powdery snow, once the snow becomes packed or icy it worsens the grip. As the temperature drops so does tire pressure. Be sure to check your Toyota’s owners manual for the suggested tire pressure for winter.
7. Working Lights: Lights on cars go out all throughout the year, but with the charging system being strained, and road conditions worsening having working lights becomes more important than ever. One tip to help the visibility from your lights in the winter once you have verified that they are all working, is to wax the light covers. Waxing these covers helps the snow and ice roll off the covers more easily.
8. Protect the paint: Nothing is more detrimental to your Toyota’s paint than ice, snow, and more than anything salt. These things wear down the paint on your car, making it chip and fade. A good quality waxing can help prevent the damage to your paint.
9. Inspect the belts and hoses: These are an essential part of your car, and letting one break can take a $10 belt that needs replaced and turn it into a $1000 fix from damage caused by not replacing that belt. But worse these broken belts or hoses can leave you stranded.
10. Prepare a Roadside Emergency Kit: And lastly but one of the most important tips, is to create an Emergency kit. Even if you take all the tips mentioned above there is always the possibility of accidents or unexpected issues happening, so have a last resort emergency kit ready is always a good idea. Some items that would be ideal to pack in your Emergency Kit are: a flashlight with extra batteries, a blanket, food bars, water bottles, cell phone (doesnt even have to have service anymore it can still call 9-1-1), jumper cables, flares, and first aid kit.
These tips will help you, your family, and your Toyota be well prepared for the winter.
No comments:
Post a Comment