Well, during wintertime, your car needs as many cautions as you need when you go sunbathing in a torrid afternoon. Speaking about that, as long as you know the recipe, the cake must be as if already done. Only that you must put all the ingredients together...
Start with the tire pressure for instance. When it comes to winter driving this is as important as having your make-up done every morning before leaving the house... or in the car by the traffic-lights. Seriously now, traction is often at a minimum because of the snowy or wet conditions. If you want your tires have the best possible contact with the road, then be prepared to get them inflated properly. In addition, this is how you avoid wheel damage when driving over potholes. However, just as different blouse sizes are made for different women, same goes for the tire pressure. In order to find the correct tire pressure for your precious car, take a break and delight yourself (or not) with your car manual.
After having this checked on the list, pass to the icky part: change the engine oil and adjust the viscosity grade. Although it sounds way to difficult to be done by a distinguished lady, it's not as hard as it looks at first sight. This time, first impression is deceiving. Let's start with the clarification of the V word. Viscosity refers to how thick or thin the engine oil is. During cold winter nights, the oil will become... colder and consequently, thicker. In this case, thick might mean trouble as oil in this state does not circulate in an engine during start-up as well as thinner oil.
To have this solved, you just have to change your vehicle's engine oil to one that is thinner to start with. But just thin is no definite solution: if you don't choose the right oil, it could turn out to be too thin. To summarize and make it clear, it's all written in the book so all you have to do is to check what type of oil best fits your car during wintertime and all problems are already history.
Very cold temperatures can make your car's dear battery kick the proverbial bucket. So if your battery is older than three years, you'd better have it tested at a certified automotive repair facility before setting for a longer journey.
Since it's so cold outside that glasses break, another good idea would be to check the antifreeze mixture. The ideal mixture of antifreeze (coolant) and water inside your car's radiator is 50:50. No more, no less. If the mixture doesn't obey this rule, then hot- and cold-weather performance can be truly compromised.
Speaking about fluids, don't forget to inspect the wipers and the wiper fluid. A harsh winter storm could ruin your plans, couldn't it? Not if you filled your wiper fluid reservoir in advance. Remember that a good visibility is your best advantage in the fight against the white "monster". Also, since the life expectancy of a wiper blade is about one year, don't forget to celebrate its anniversary by replacing it with a new one.
And this brings us to our favorite part: clothing chapter. Belts and hoses of modern cars have a long life expectancy but this doesn't mean they're going to live forever. Especially when we speak about temperatures below zero. Therefore, if you want your car to look trendy during winter time, it would be better if you checked the belts and hoses before the cold season starts.
Last but not least, consider buying new boots for your precious car. To be more specific, winter boots. Well, snow tires weren't invented for nothing, that's for sure! Slippery roads are no good when it comes to braking, accelerating and handling if your car tires are worn out. No wonder why so many car crashes happen during this season. Yet, snow boots for your motor will heavily diminish this unhappy possibility.
Given all that, we're ready to go skiing in the mountains. And since you're there, you can have a snow fight as well so that winter becomes really unforgettable. Hey, who said the white monster is all about fear?
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