Is Your Vehicle Ready for another Wisconsin Winter?
As anyone who has ever lived through one can attest, winters in Wisconsin can get cold. Really cold. Not just nippy, but seemingly a few degrees above absolute zero cold. The biting sort of cold that, despite several layers of clothing, cuts through your body like a frozen blade of a knife. It stings! Thankfully, one only needs to be out in it for brief periods at a time; usually as long as it takes to go from a heated building to one’s vehicle and back again.
Even though you may not be exposed to the blustery, frigid elements for long, your vehicle may have been sitting out for hours. Ideally, you can stay inside and remote start your transport. But one fantastically freezing day, you try it and nothing seems to happen. You’re going to have to brave the frozen tundra to try to get it started. You trudge over the frozen landscape, reach your vehicle, quickly nestle in, turn the key in the ignition, and – oh no! – all you hear is a hideous series of click-click-clicks, groans, and exhausted whirs. You’re in a bind now. Why oh why didn’t you winterize your ride!?
Deadly Winter
According to the National Weather Service, “Hundreds of people are injured or killed each year as a direct result of winter weather. Heavy snowfall and blizzards easily trap motorists in their vehicles and make walking to find help a deadly effort. Severely cold temperatures and wind chills during and after a winter storm can lead to hypothermia and kill anyone caught outside for too long.”
Jason Vasen, Master Diagnostic Technician at Smart Motors in Madison, says there’s no time like the present to start getting your vehicle in shape for the unpredictable winter season.
“If a car moves, many people assume everything is in good operating order,” says Vasen. “While the car might still have the oomph needed to go, preventative maintenance will help prevent future breakdowns … and major expenses.”
Vasen recommends having your vehicle serviced to prepare it for the challenges winter can pose.
Winterization Checklist
- Battery –It’s not an illusion; it really does take more power to start your car in the winter because battery power decreases as the temperature drops. If your battery is already having problems, your risk of breaking down or becoming stranded increases. It is recommended to have a battery with at least the vehicle manufacturers CCA rating, most hybrids will have 12 volt batteries under 400 CCA which are fine for that application
- Cooling system – Your automotive service technician can tell you what antifreeze should be used and the appropriate coolant-to-water ratio to avoid potential freezing.
- Belts, hoses, spark plugs, wires and cables – While they can go bad at any time, if they do in the winter, you could be stuck in the cold for an unfortunately long period.
- Brakes and tires – the cold doesn’t necessarily harm these components, but it doesn’t hurt to make sure they are in the best condition to handle the hazards of winter driving.
“These areas might seem small compared to the engine or fuel intake system, but without the small things aiding the large items, your vehicle will not function properly,” he says.
Vasen says all motorists should have a cell phone and phone charger handy, and it doesn’t hurt to have quality wiper blades installed and your windshield wiper fluid topped off. Drivers shouldn’t let their gas go much below a half tank in the wintertime, either. Plus he recommends keeping a worst-case-scenario-kit in your vehicle, filled with the following items:
Junk in Your Trunk
- · A blanket
- · Several heavy duty garbage bags: Can be a makeshift rain coat; keep your clothing off the wet ground when changing a tire, or to collect wet items.
- · A shovel
- · Kitty Litter – which can help aid in traction
- · Jumper cables or a battery-powered portable booster
- · Flashlight or emergency light
- · First aid kit
- · Food
- · Jack and spare tire: Know how to use them — do a practice run if necessary.
Smart Motors was founded in 1908 by O.D. Smart and is one of the nation’s oldest automotive dealerships, is the mid-west’s largest hybrid dealer and one of Wisconsin’s largest volume Toyota dealers. Located at 5901 Odana Road, Smart Motors is Wisconsin’s only two-time President’s Cabinet Award recipient from Toyota Motor Sales for superior customer service & sales volume. For more information visit their history page.
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