Preparing Your Subaru for Winter
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When the colder weather hits it puts unique stressors on your vehicle. And the last thing you want is to get into an accident or watch as your car breaks down because you didn't do something you should have. Schedule a Service Appointment Today!
We understand, and we don't want that to happen to you either. That's why we came up with this guide to highlight everything you need to know to prepare your Subaru for the winter weather.
10 Tips for Preparing Your Subaru for Winter
There's a lot to check if you're getting your Subaru ready for the winter. Below we've highlighted ten different tips you should check out to ensure your vehicle is in great shape.
1. Check the Tire Tread
While a smaller amount of tire tread might be all right when the roads are still in good shape, you'll want a little more tread when there's ice or snow on the road. The minimum tread level in the United States is 2/32", but when the winter weather comes, we recommend replacing the tires if the remaining tread is less than 4/32".
This extra tread will help improve your vehicle's overall traction while driving, keeping you from sliding all over the road.
While you can check for 2/32" of tread with a penny, if you want to check for 4/32", simply replace the penny with a quarter. Stick Washington's head between the tread, facing down. If you can still see the top of his head, you still have at least 4/32" of tread, if you can't, it might be time for new tires. Schedule a Service Appointment Today!
2. Check the Tire Pressure
When the temperature drops for the first time, you'll want to do yourself a favor and double-check the tire pressure. A drop in temperature will typically cause the tires to lose some air, and you'll want to fill them back up to the right pressure for optimal performance.
Don't just rely on a tire pressure monitoring system either, sometimes these sensors can fail, causing you to think you're good to go when really the tire pressure is way off!
3. Keep Up With Regular Maintenance
While it's always important to keep up with the regular maintenance of your vehicle, the importance really ramps up during the winter. Colder weather can change the viscosity of various fluids in your engine, and this change affects older fluids more than newer ones.
If you're unsure about when you took your vehicle in for the last oil change, it's probably time for a new one. Schedule a Service Appointment Today!
4. Check the Heater
This is something you want to check out before the cold weather hits. The last thing you want is to head out on a cold morning and find you can't warm up the car because of a damaged heater.
Not only is it frustrating, but maintenance shops face a lot of the same problems this time of year, and this can lead to a shortage of parts delaying the repair time. If you fix things before the rush, it's typically a lot faster, and sometimes it's even a little cheaper. Schedule a Service Appointment Today!
5. Look at the Anti-Freeze
Anti-freeze is there to keep your vehicle from overheating, but if you're not using the right mixture it can actually freeze right in your engine! This is a pretty rare issue, but if you're constantly topping off the system with water it can happen.
Take this as an opportunity to look at the anti-freeze and test it to ensure it's still providing all the cooling and insulating properties it should.
6. Inspect the Battery
Colder weather puts more stress on car batteries, and it's why it's more likely that your vehicle's battery will die during the colder months. Do yourself a favor and test the battery before you end up stranded somewhere.
When testing a battery don't just look at the voltage, take a look at the cold cranking amps too. If there are not enough cold-cranking amps, it really won't matter. Schedule a Service Appointment Today!
7. Check the Wiper Blades
One area that people often forget about when they're inspecting and winterizing their vehicle is the wiper blades. They're easy to check, but if you have a torn or damaged wiper blade it can create big problems when either rain or snow starts falling.
8. Consider Winter Tires
This tip really depends on where you live. But if you live somewhere you know you're going to get lots of snow, you should consider winter tires if you'll have to drive in it. Winter tires provide far more snow traction, but they also tend to wear out faster than regular tires.
But when you're driving during inclement weather, they can be the difference between staying between the lines and sliding right off the road.
9. Check the Windshield Wiper Fluid
While the windshield wiper fluid isn't something you have to think twice about during the summer months, if you're using water you'll want to switch to a windshield wiper fluid with anti-freezing and deicing properties.
A bigger problem with sticking with water is that if you do it'll freeze when it gets too cold. Not only does this keep it from working, but as the ice expands, it can crack and damage different components.
Once again, keep in mind that this is something you'll want to shop for before the first freeze of the season. If you wait until then stores can run out and leave you without anything to clean your windshield with while you're driving. Schedule a Service Appointment Today!
10. Complete a General Lookover
If you're already checking everything else, you might as well do yourself a favor by looking over all the various components in your vehicle. Check the brakes, bushings, bearings, belts, and every other component your vehicle has.
A general lookover can help you catch problems while they're small, saving you tons of money and frustration if they turn into something bigger.
Final Thoughts
There's a lot to do to ensure your vehicle is ready for the winter months. If you want to head into the colder months of the year with confidence that your vehicle is in great shape, why not take it to Granite Subaru?
They go over everything your vehicle needs and give you a detailed report of what you need or should consider to get through the colder months. Schedule a Service Appointment Today!
