Anticipating what could go wrong and making sure every system of your car is working optimally is what car maintenance is all about. You’re much better off checking off a few boxes on routine car maintenance and nipping problems in the bud before they develop into major car issues (e.g., transmission grinding or busted defroster) that could leave you on the side of the road.
In the fall, you’re already dealing with weather that’s a bit brisker and more challenging. You’ll want to consider car maintenance for much lower temperatures and more difficult driving conditions on deck for winter. Checking your tires, brakes, rotors, wiper blades, balance, and fluids would be an excellent place to start.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Your Tires
Your tires are, hopefully, the only part of your vehicle that makes contact with the road. Tire pressure can drop by around 1 PSI (pounds per square inch) per 10 degree drop in ambient temperature, and your tire tread can wear out over time as well.
Ensuring that your tire tread is reasonably fresh is critical heading into winter because it allows your vehicle to get a firmer grip on the pavement, which could wind up making the difference between uncontrollably sliding on “black ice” and comfortably stopping in time.
Taking your car in for a full tuneup at All Around Auto Repair includes getting your tires rotated, which is really important in fall.
Why? Because changing up the position of each tire, especially on front-wheel drive vehicles, ensures a more even wear and greater longevity on your tire’s tread.
- The Penny Test
There’s an at-home trick for checking the tread wear on your tires as well.
Placing a penny in a few of your tire’s grooves and checking to see if Lincoln’s head is poking out could indicate you have the recommended 1/16th of an inch or more depth remaining on your tire’s tread.
Take your car in for car maintenance at All Around Auto Repair, though, to find out for sure and get your tires properly rotated.
You’ll need to do that anyway even if your tires are new or otherwise pretty fresh to ensure a long life for your tire’s tread.
Hit the Brakes…and Stop Into All Around Auto Repair
Although you could make the case that your tires or engine is the most important part of car maintenance, you would be out to sea without regular brake maintenance, especially in slippery winter conditions.
At All Around Auto Repair you’ll have your brake fluid checked. The auto technicians at All Around know to check for that milky color in your brake fluid – this indicates water condensation has gotten into your brake fluid and you’re overdue for a change.
Changing your brake fluid typically isn’t a DIY project since you first have to bleed the brake lines to remove all of the air. In fact, you might not even be able to change your fluid solo since one person is checking the bleeder valve as the other is pumping the brakes.
Technicians at All Around Auto Repair will ensure your brake pads, rotors, brakes lines, and fluids get the all clear before sending you on your way: Truly comprehensive car maintenance.
Car Maintenance and Checking Every Box Off
Fall car maintenance is also about doing the “little” things that make a big difference.Replacing cracked or warped wiper blades, ensuring your defroster works, and perhaps replacing sealed-beam headlamps with brighter halogen ones will keep you safer on the roads this fall and winter. Click here to schedule comprehensive car maintenance for the months ahead.
