Tip #30: Wheelskins install on wheel with bumps at 10 and 2

Checklist for that Pre-Winter Detail

Your prized possession will last longer and be more dependable if you follow the tips below.

No matter if you plan to store your vehicle for the winter or if you are going to keep driving through the muck or rain, you need to pay special attention to that last detail of the summer/fall season.

Most of the tips below also are good for those that live in warm climates year-round.  

Interior:

1.  Make sure to give the carpets a full vacuum and clean to keep dirt from getting ground in all winter.  DC CarCare doesn't sell floor mats, but I love those big soft rubber mats that have the real deep ribs in them.  MacNeil company sells their Weathertech tm brand mats and I have used them for several years, they hold up well, don't scoot around and do hold an amazing amount of dirt/liquid.  They also stay soft during the coldest weather, letting you remove them, clean and put back in easily.  Even these mats don't catch everything, so plan on cleaning the carpets as needed during the winter.  Remember our caution here at DC Car Care against using water/soap on your carpets, check out this TIP for a refresher course in how to and NOT to do carpets.

2.  Clean the seats/dash/door panels: Use Vinylex on the dash, door panels and non-leather bits, and Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner on the leather parts.  Check out this TIP for help in this area.

3.  Give the windows a good clean because the high humidity of fall/winter will insure that any film on the inside of the window will try to obscure your vision.  Our Wurth Glass Cleaner is ideal for removing that film that ALL car windows will get no matter how hard you try to prevent it.

Trunk:

1.  Give this area a good vac and clean out trash and unnecessary stuff.

2.  A word about extra weight for winter "traction".  Lots of people still believe that you should carry extra weight in the trunk or pickup bed to help with traction.  Actually, this is very BAD for traction on snow/ice.  The extra weight is just more mass to get moving and make turns.  Less weight is actually better!  A small bag of sand or even  wood chips is OK to keep for use under tires on ice, but otherwise don't put in extra weight.  I even know of people that put things like concrete blocks or chunks of railroad rail, LOOSE, in their vehicles!  These become death projectiles if you are ever in a bad accident.  You don't want anything loose in the passenger compartment or trunk that can decapitate you if you are hit, or you hit something.  The best way to get better winter traction is to have winter tires or snow tires with lots of biting edges and big spaces in the tread.  

All weather tires are OK, but for best traction, use real snow tires, or better yet, the European style WINTER tires.  It is best to use snow tires on the back or drive tires only, and WINTER tires on all four corners.  Also, a slightly narrower tire is always better for snow and ice.  They will tend to dig in and over snow rather than push piles of it ahead of the tire as a wide tire will do.  

3.  Put together a winter emergency kit.  This should include a couple of candles, matches or lighter, a couple of cans to hold the candles, an extra blanket, flashlight and extra batteries, a bottle of water and even emergency flares or triangles.  Put this in a box  and tie it down so it can't come loose.

Exterior:

1.  Give the outside of your car a good detail with a wash, then GLAZE, and WAX.  Check out this previous TIP  (there are several) for full information.  Pay special attention to getting dirt from the inside of the wheel wells, and wiping down and waxing the inner edges of the doors, door jams and sills, and even the inner edges of the trunk lid and hood where rust can start.

2.  Clean the glass well.  Put on new blades for a clear view through most of the winter.  Plan on buying new wiper blades or inserts twice a year, in the fall and spring, it is money well spent.

Mechanical Considerations:

1.  As mentioned above, put on new wiper blades.

2.  Check tire pressure as the temperature drops. For every 10 degrees change in temp, you get a change of one pound of pressure.  Say your tires are a touch low at 28 psi at the end of the summer, and the temperature drops from the 80's to zero.  That is 80 degrees, and your tires now have 20 psi in them and are dangerously low!  It can be hard to see that a radial tire is low, so check them every week at least!

3.  Change your fluids:  This means fresh oil (we recommend and sell Amsoil full synthetic oil) and a new filter for the motor.  For those in very cold climates, a 0-30 or 5-30 oil can help with cold starting a lot.  Check your owners manual for the correct oil weight for your vehicle, but most can use the two weight oils mentioned, and they will flow oil to critical parts of your motor much quicker than conventional 10-30 or thicker oils.

Flush and fill your anti-freeze.  Anti-freeze will only last a finite amount of time, even the new "lifetime" products really should be changed every 2-3 years.  Conventional anti-freeze is so cheap that you really should change it EVERY year.  This not only helps prevent freeze-up, but renews the anti-corrosion property of the anti-freeze helping prevent cooling system leaks/problems in future years.

Bleed and flush your brake fluid.  Many people never do this, but it really should be done at least every other year.  Fresh brake fluid is cheap insurance against VERY expensive problems down the road.

Flush and fill the transmission fluid.  Again, many people consider tranny fluid a "lifetime" thing, but again, it should be changed every couple of years.  If you  tow heavy loads, then consider changing every year.

Flush and fill the power steering system. What?  This is a system that most people never think about, but power steering fluid is usually just transmission fluid.  There is NO filter of any sort in these systems and they can get contaminated with moisture, and metal from wear/tear and also dirt can sneak past the fill cap and seals.  Price out a steering rack sometime plus the extensive labor to install it and you realize that a power steering flush/fill every couple of years is nothing compared to the repair.

Differential lube: This also is not a lifetime product.  A drain/fill on 4WD or RWD axles every couple of years is a good idea.

Using synthetic fluids in the transmission, rear axle and power steering will help cold weather performance and help those expensive parts last longer.  You can also realize a small gain in fuel mileage as a bonus.

Most amateur mechanics and do most of these flush/fill procedures in the driveway.  Be sure to dispose of old fluids properly, and just take the car to a good mechanic/dealer if in doubt.  Most will do these services for a modest price.

NOTE: many dealerships/shops list a "maintenance" schedule that is MUCH more aggressive and costly than what I have outlined above, and it can sometimes be quite a rip-off.  Check your owners manual for absolutely necessary service intervals, and use the guides above for other services that are a good idea even if the manufacturer doesn't recommend them.

4. Air Filter.  Check your air filter.  IF it looks dirty, it is time to change.  The old test of seeing if a light bulb shines through is not a good one, but for sure if you can't see the light, it is time to change the filter.  Usually a new filter is needed long before that point.  DC CarCare sells the excellent re-useable/cleanable K&N filter.  Give us a call for prices and applications for  your vehicle.

5.  Suspension.  Bad shocks or struts are dangerous any time of year but especially in slick conditions.  If your car floats and bounces, then get it checked.  

6.  CV joints and U-joints.  Check the Constant Velocity joints on FWD cars/trucks or RWD vehicles with independent suspensions.  The rubber bellows covering the joints can be torn by things on the highway, or just tear from age.  Once torn, water/dirt can get in the joint and ruin it almost immediately!  Visually check these items every time you can, but at least three or four times a year, or anytime the car is on a hoist.  Grease on the inside of a wheel rim is a dead giveaway of a torn CV boot.  U-joints on other vehicles should be visually inspected and lubed if they have a grease fitting.

7.  Grease joints.  Most newer vehicles have NO points that need regular grease treatment, but many replacement parts DO require greasing and many older cars still need a regular shot of lube.  Check your owners manual if in doubt or just go looking for those little grease fittings.

Tune up the DRIVER!

1.  Yes, give yourself a little tune up by finding a huge empty parking lot after the first snow and learn snow driving techniques again.  Only do this when NOBODY else is around and go easy, but it can help to find out what your vehicle feels like in a low speed skid like happens a lot in winter.

2.  Get acquainted with your ABS.  Anti-skid brakes should be tested several times a year, and in the winter is an ideal time.  In your driveway, or a deserted parking lot, or nice wide deserted road, after double checking that there is nobody behind you,  at about 10 mph hit the brakes HARD and see what happens.  ABS comes on when you hit the brakes as hard as you can.  You should feel a vibration or pulsing in the pedal.  You may also hear a growling or hammering sound.  It can startle you if you have never heard the sound or felt the feedback that ABS usually gives.  

If you have the room try some stops from slightly higher speeds, and try to do some turns at the same time.  ABS will allow you to turn up to a point.  Remember that a vehicle in motion wants to stay moving the same direction, and even with ABS, if your speed is fast enough and your traction low enough, you will NOT be able to turn so the best defense in bad weather is to slow down.

3.  If you have traction control, be aware of how it works.  Some work by applying brakes, others by reducing engine power, some by doing both if necessary.  Get a feel for how they work because they can alert you to a loss of traction before you get in real trouble.  Again, these devices can help, but they are not a cure-all for bad driving and big mistakes!

I hope this helps you get through the coming winter(s). 

Don Mallinson, President
DC CarCare