DIY tips to care for your car this winter
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Winter is here and it’s time to prepare your vehicle if you haven’t already done so.
From a winter blast to a wintery mix of cool temps and wet roadways, your car could be taking a beating on the street.
While some Indianapolis auto body and service shops saw an uptick in auto repairs after the recent winter storm, there are some things you can do right now to save yourself a trip to get repairs.
Ernie Lease, district manager at Advance Auto Parts in Noblesville, shared some simple DIY car care tips.
Check wiper blades
Lease recommends drivers check their wiper blades often.
“It’s very important to inspect these. Pull the wiper blade up, see if it’s frayed, and see if the rubber is tearing it all. It’s so important that your wiper blade is in great shape,” Lease said. “When you come out to the vehicle, you want to start the car warming up, you want to just hit the key and turn on the wiper blades. Don’t do that, because you’re gonna rip those things all up. They’re gonna stick your windshield.”
Make sure headlights, taillights, and hazards are working
Lease suggests checking headlights, taillights, and other bulbs and brushing any snow away from the headlights and grill before hitting the road.
“One thing you want to definitely do is check out your headlights. Inspect those bulbs and check your turn signals — you can just back up to a window and see the reflection. Make sure all your bulbs are working. Hit your hazards and make sure all your turn signals are on. Your headlights diminish over time, so it’s very important to go ahead and get those replaced,” Lease said.
Air up those tires
It’s important to have properly inflated tires during the winter in order to get better traction and better fuel economy, Lease says.
“Most cars now are equipped with a bulb inside that tells you when it’s low. If not, you can just pick up one of these nice tire gauges — just plug it in, check it out, and it’ll tell you inside of the door jam what your tires should be inflated at. You want to make sure you’re properly inflated to that pressure so that you’re good to go,” Lease said.
Check out the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website for more winter car care tips.