Winterize your vehicle for safety and peace of mind

Winter is looming again, and with it the possibility of extreme weather conditions in the area, it is a good idea to have cars and trucks checked out and winterized.

Car owners usually remember oil and oil changes. But they may not think of transmission fluid, brake and power steering fluid conditions and levels and coolant.

As long as the transmission works, people usually just use a car or truck. Very few think much about it until they notice a problem, such as a car which refuses to move forward even though the engine is running. Problems could usually be avoided if the transmission was checked twice a year. In the spring, this would be a part of summerizing a car. In the fall, it would be part of winterizing. The transmission fluid should be changed as often as the owners manual recommends.

Brakes are much the same. A driver often uses the brakes without ever checking the fluid levels or condition. Then - Surprise! One day the brakes don't work and someone should have noticed.

Coolant is a bit different. Once the engine coolant has a little age on it, it still may test out properly, but it may not be doing its job well.

One of the important parts of the auto maintenance is CHECK THE OWNERS MANUAL!

Just about all anyone would need to know about their car or truck can be found in the owners manual, including winterizing.

But, to make a story short and plain, to winterize a vehicle, just about everything should be checked - tire condition and pressure, battery, battery cables and connections, drive belts, lights, wipers, fuel and air filters and more.

Coming up on winter, special attention should be paid to the batteries. The primary driver usually pays little attention to the battery. It may work fine for five to seven years. Then it fails, often on a cold morning. There is an additional surprise when the buyer discovers new batteries are no longer $50, but in the neighborhood of $150.

It may be news to some, but even the air conditioner should be checked before winter. That is because in many vehicles, the air conditioner runs when the window defroster runs. Running an air conditioner low on refrigerant, even in the winter, can cause damage.

The weather is already cooling down for the winter season. Don't wait until the first snowstorm to decide the car or truck should have been winterized a few weeks before. At least make sure the car has a window scraper. And make sure the tires have tread.

Remember, if the car is not starting well in the summer, it isn't going to start any better in the winter.