PEORIA, Ill. – If it’s bone-chilling outside for you, the same can be said for your vehicle, and a local car maintenance expert has tips on keeping it running smoothly.
Before you hit the road, Uftring Chevrolet Washington Assistant Service Manager Nate Mescher tells WMBD’s “Greg and Dan” to give your vehicle enough time to warm up.
“You don’t want to just get in like a frozen car and just throw it in gear and start driving, you got to give those fluids a chance to warm up and start circulating before you actually operate the vehicle,” Mescher said.
Mescher says 10-15 minutes of warm up time is plenty for your vehicle. He also suggests people have fluids in their vehicles that can withstand extreme cold temperatures, in order to prevent them from solidifying.
People should also not use boiling water on vehicles to try and melt ice off of it, saying that the water used could refreeze again. He says windows and windshields are also prone to damage in winter weather.
“Sometimes if you’re not careful and there’s either some light rain or it freezes, where the glass kinda sticks on the door weather seal, and then that power window tries to move, it can bind up and either break the cabling and the mechanics of the window mower, or in rare cases, it can break the glass if there’s too much stress on it,” Mescher said.
Mescher says one of the more common things people report to repair shops in cold weather is tire issues, mainly with tire pressure. He says people are being more aware of tire pressure, with modern technology in vehicles.
“It’s important to keep an eye on that and make sure that the tires aren’t wearing funny, if they’re putting extra stress on the sidewalls when it’s cold because the rubber is cold,” Mescher said.
Mescher says it’s also a good idea after the snow melts and the temperatures warm up to check your alignment and wheel balance, in case snow drifts knocked them out of place.
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