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Winter driving preparation
by Lori Lucas, Car Girl
A safe, well maintained vehicle is important all four seasons of the year. But the thing about winter... well, breaking down in 20-degree weather is not fun, especially if you’re unprepared. Keeping your vehicle professionally maintained, and having quarterly check-ups are the best ways to stay out of trouble. Pay attention to your car. Changes in the way the car sounds when it starts or while driving are indicators that something has changed that may not be right. Pay attention to any warning lights, or changes in gauge readings on the dash. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the indicators on your instrument panel. Turn your key to the “on” position, which is the last position before you start the car. Many or all of your indicators will illuminate for at least a few seconds with the key in this position. Spot your “SERVICE ENGINE SOON”, or, CHECK ENGINE light, ABS light, and BRAKE light. After a few seconds those indicator lights will go out, so turn the key back to off, then back to the on position to continue reviewing the lights. While driving, pay attention to new noises or smells or “feelings”. Check under where you park periodically; note if there are any fluid spots. And remember, safety is paramount. That’s a 3000-pound rocket you’re tooling around in and you’re responsible for it’s safety and reliability.
Anyway, an unexpected breakdown in the winter is a lot less fun than breaking down in any other season. Stepping from the car into roadside slush, all dirty and cold and dirty and wet and cold... and cars passing by and splashing you with muck -- yuck, icky muck. I know you have your cell phone, but you’ll still have to step out of the car eventually. The tow truck driver will not carry you, even if you’re totally uncoordinated and have on new pumps and a skirt. But, he will give you a boost into the tow truck if he has to. Now that’s fun. Here’s what I do to minimize the trauma:

I have a blanket inside the car since the tow truck probably won’t get there before I start getting cold, well, colder -- I’m always cold. I have heavy socks and an old pair of (ugly) hiking boots in a sack in the car, just in case I have to walk anywhere.

I have an ice scraper, a little shovel, and a little broom and a small bag of “ice melt”. I keep all of this in a plastic container with a snap on lid INSIDE the car. There have been times, due to snow build-up, I have not been able to get my trunk open.

When you get started on a cold morning, don’t use your wiper blades to clear frost, ice or heavy snow. The portion of the blade that touches the window is a delicate, thin wiper, not a scraper. It and the mechanisms that make your wipers work are not designed to scrape or push heavy, wet snow.

Other than a properly operating vehicle, my biggest winter concern is tire condition. Since the tires are the only part of the vehicle touching the ground, their condition is very important. Have your tires checked by a professional because much of the driving public think, for example, that when a tire’s outside edge is worn out, since there’s lots more tread everywhere else, the tire is ok. Not so. That tire’s integrity is judged by the worn outside edge. Another hazard is old tires. Many of you are driving 2001 cars with only 28,000 miles on the tires, but that low mileage is not how we judge the tire’s integrity. Those tires may need to be replaced because they’re 5-6 years old, dry rotted, and less effective.