the washington post
.
thursday, november
14
,
2019
MD
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BY LAURA DAILY
Winter is coming, and without
an El Niño or La Niña, we could
face large swings in temperature
and precipitation. In fact, many
parts of the country have already
seen hefty snowfall. With our
unpredictable weather, odds are
that people who live in snow
zones are going to have to deal
with ice, sleet, snow or a perfect
wintry trifecta. Unless you live in
sunny climes or are car-free, it’s a
good idea to prepare your vehicle
now.
I speak from experience — four
decades and tens of thousands of
miles navigating both Colorado’s
high country passes and the
streets of Denver in pelting sleet
and our infamous “bomb cy-
clone” this past March. In fact, I
just switched to snow tires in
anticipation of a pending storm.
Granted, it might not seem so
urgent elsewhere. Bruce Jenkins
is AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of
fleet club operations, overseeing
service trucks and tow vehicles.
He says D.C.-area car owners tend
to procrastinate. “We don’t have
much snow, but when we do get a
few inches or ice, then everyone
panics. It’s so much easier if
drivers prepare their car now and
do a little preventative mainte-
nance.”
Where you live or travel — I’m
looking at you, snow-sport enthu-
siasts — affects what you may
need to do to your vehicle and
when. Here’s a general plan for
winterizing your car.
During the fall
Ensure your tires are proper-
ly inflated. Low tire pressure
affects braking distances and
makes a car harder to steer, and
the wild temperature swings we
see in the winter can wreak havoc
on our tires. According to Tom
Williams, Discount Tire’s senior
vice president of customer experi-
ence, for every 10 degrees the
temperature drops, tires lose one
pound of pressure per square
inch. During a cold snap, your
vehicle’s tire pressure-monitor-
ing system light could start flash-
ing on your dash. Head to your
local tire store or, if you are a
DIYer, consider buying a portable
electric air pump from an auto-
supply or home-improvement
store. You can find your vehicle’s
recommended tire pressure on a
placard on the driver-side door-
jamb
Perform the penny test. Tire
tread depth is critical to stopping
ability. The easiest way to check it
is using the “penny test,” Williams
says. Insert an upside-down pen-
ny into several grooves of your
tires. If you can see all Lincoln’s
head, then your tread depth is less
than^2 / 32 of an inch, and your tires
need to be replaced.
Decide if you want winter
tires. Unless you live in a region
prone to prolonged periods of ice
and snow or plan to drive to such
areas, all-season tires should suit
you fine. For those facing months
of temperatures below 45 de-
grees, a second set of winter tires
makes sense. Winter tires contain
thousands of edges for a biting
grip, and the rubber remains pli-
able in cold weather to improve
stopping distance and traction,
Williams says. They run $125 to
$150 per tire, but by swapping
them for your all-weathers after
six months, you extend the life of
both sets. Even if you aren’t going
to buy snow tires, replace worn-
out tires in the fall. Newer tires
will have more tread, and more
tread equals greater traction.
Plus, tire stores typically hold fall
sales, so you may save a few
bucks.
Go under the hood. When the
weather turns cold, oils and other
engine fluids thicken. That
means the battery needs more
oomph to start an engine, so
you’ll want to pop the hood and
check the charge. At the same
time, inspect belts and hoses for
any cracks or breaks. (Local car
care shops will often do a free
winter car check, testing the bat-
tery and inspecting your car’s
fluids, filters, hoses and wipers.)
Check the label on your wind-
shield wiper fluid to ensure it is
rated for winter, usually to minus-
20 degrees. I accidentally left
“summer” wiper fluid in my car
once, only to have it freeze solid.
Now, I set it for winter year-
round.
Pull out the owner’s manual.
What’s worse than having to pull
off the road during a whiteout
because your windshield wipers
are covered with snow? Not being
able to clean off the wipers. Some
higher-end cars “hide” wind-
shield wipers in a well so the car is
more aesthetically pleasing. I can
tell you from personal experi-
ence, though the car may look
pretty, it’s awful to have to figure
out how to get the wipers up and
away from the windshield (into
what is called “maintenance
mode”) in a snowstorm. It may
involve pushing buttons or turn-
ing dials in a specific sequence.
Grab your owner’s manual in
advance and practice how to ac-
cess your wipers, pop the hood or
refill the wiper fluid well.
Mix up your own ice breaker.
This winter hack, which really
works, comes from Knoxville,
Tenn., TV weatherman Ken
Weathers (yes, that’s his real
name). Fill a spray bottle with
one-third part water and two-
thirds parts 91 percent isopropyl
alcohol to create your own ice-
melting solution. Because the
freezing point of rubbing alcohol
is so low, it breaks up the ice
almost instantly, and you can
keep this spray bottle in your car
to use anytime. The diluted alco-
hol shouldn’t hurt your wipers,
just try to keep it off painted
areas.
During the winter
Start your car’s engine regu-
larly. If you aren’t driving your
car on a regular basis, start the
engine every few days. If it’s really
cold — say around or below freez-
ing — start it daily. Today’s vehi-
cles have all sorts of processes
running even when the engine is
off — a digital clock, security
system, Bluetooth. They may not
seem like much, but together they
present a small, constant drain on
your car’s battery. You don’t want
to really need your car only to find
a dead battery. Prefer to park it
and forget it? Consider a drip
charger, which plugs into an elec-
trical outlet and is connected to
your battery to maintain the
charge. They run about $40 to
$50 and are easy to use.
De-ice more easily. Should you
wake up to your car covered in ice
or snow, “Let the car do the work
for you,” Jenkins says. “Start your
car, turn the defrosters on high,
wait several minutes, then start
to scrape off any ice.” This is also
the perfect time to use your
home-brewed ice breaker. Don’t
turn on your wipers until the ice
is melted. Use a good plastic
scraper. Avoid metal ones as they
may scratch the windshield and
windows.
Remove all snow. Not just
from the hood, windows and
sides, but the top, too. If you leave
inches of snow on top of your car,
when you drive off it could break
up and blow into the car behind
you or slide onto your windshield
when you come to a stop. One of
the easiest tools for clearing your
car is an extension brush (about
$15 or less). Some telescope out to
four feet and compact down for
easy storage. A soft bristle model
won’t scratch your paint. Even if
you park in a garage, take a
moment to spray a bit of window
cleaner onto a paper towel and
wipe off any dirt or grime from
your rear camera so you can see
clearly when you put the car in
reverse.
Find a good carwash. Those
liquid chemicals that crews spray
on highways and thoroughfares
to reduce ice and melt snow are
not your car’s friend once the
asphalt is clear. After every storm
in which you drive on treated
roads, visit a carwash that washes
the top and sides and sprays
underneath the chassis and into
the wheel wells. That should help
prevent corrosion.
[email protected]
Denver-based writer Laura Daily
specializes in consumer advocacy
and travel strategies. Find her at
dailywriter.net.
Winter is coming. It’s time to prepare your car for the cold.
ISTOCK