BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – The first day of winter is this Dec. 21, and let’s face it, nobody really wants to go walking in a winter wonderland.
Some of the bigger issues cars face in the winter are loss of tire pressure, frozen fluids like wiper fluid or motor oil, and car batteries dying as colder temperatures reduce the battery’s ability to produce power.
“There’s no real way to crystal ball it; the battery is something that you just kind of have to guess at or look at,” said Jason Musser, owner of Musser Automotive. “It’ll have the data manufacturer very clear, but just doing a draw test on the battery will kind of give you a sense of how good the battery is.”
Musser said you can see subtle signs of batteries dying like dim lights, or windows rolling up slower than usual.
“On the tire side, if there’s rain like today, just [the tires] not performing well in a turn. So of course, you should be slowing down as much as possible before you turn. But say you’re slowing down as much as you think you normally would go to turn and the front or the rear kind of shimmies in a way that you’re not expecting, that can indicate a problem.”
Musser added it’s important to handle these problems quickly when they occur, but to also not panic when car trouble happens.
“If you have a coolant leak for instance, that can affect a wide variety of things. But I think that sometimes people will overreact to things that aren’t really that big of a deal and then have spent their money over here when really that could have been budgeted for this more important item.”
With overreacting, Musser also advised drivers to be more cautious when driving during the colder or wetter months, especially with the risk of tire issues.
“I think that one of the biggest problems that we see just in general in the area ‘cause we’re not used to slick conditions is people taking turns as if they normally would. Assuming that we’re going to grip the same way,” Musser said. “You want to slow down as you’re moving in a straight line. You got more traction in that single direction much, much better than if you’re trying to slow down while also turning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also recommends adding a winter safety kit to your vehicle as you prepare for winter.
They advise adding snow removal tools like a broom or shovel, abrasive material like kitty litter to unstick tires, jumper cables, flashlights, a first aid kit, blankets, phone chargers, snacks and drinks.
For more tips on preparing your vehicle for winter, visit the NHTSA website.
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