Winter is just around the corner. That means the temperature is going to be dropping. Cold weather can be hard on your vehicle. It’s important to winterize your car or truck ahead of time. If you don’t winterize your car, you may wake up one morning to discover it won’t start. Or, your vehicle may stall out while you are driving. The worse time to get stranded is when it’s freezing cold outside. However, properly winterizing your car or truck will go a long way in preventing these issues. Will a little planning, you and your car will make it through the winter without too many issues.

Check the Battery

If you have been putting off replacing your battery, now is the time to do it. Batteries need to be replaced about every three years in order to winterize your vehicle. A weak battery might still survive when it’s warm out. However, it’s a different story when it’s cold. When it’s cold outside, weak batteries will be one of the first things to go bad. This is an essential part to Winterize your vehicle

It takes more power to start your vehicle in cold weather. You can bring your vehicle to the shop and have it tested. A voltmeter can be hooked up to your car or truck. It will give a readout that displays how much energy your battery is producing. If it’s too low, get a new battery.

Keep Your Gas Tank Full

When its cold, don’t wait until the last minute to fill your tank up. In fact, I never let my tank get bellow three-quarters full in the winter. If you let your tank get low when its cold, condensation can build up in your gas tank. Then, water will start to make its way into your gas line. When the water in the gas line freezes, your car won’t start.

Check your windshield wipers

You want to make sure your windshield wipers are in good condition before it gets cold. If your windshield wipers are damaged, they might not work effectively. Snow could build up on your windshield and block your view of the road. This could result in a dangerous situation. Low visibility could cause you to injure yourself or someone else. You also want to make sure you have plenty of windshield washer fluid. Having new windshield wipers and plenty of windshield washer fluid will give you the best visibility and keep you safe.