Check List to Get Your Car and Yourself Ready for Fall

The red and gold leaves that fall bring, as well as the dark starry nights are all beautiful. However with the beauty comes a challenge to drivers; wet roads and slippery coatings of leaves making driving a bit more taxing this time of year than in any other. So if you are looking to prepare yourself for the coming season, there is no better place to start than with an inspection check list. Here is your guide to having a good fall with your vehicle. 

Anticipate the Weather Changes

Fall is one of those seasons where the weather can change on a dime. To be safe, do not allow yourself to be lulled in to a false sense of security by the pretty foliage and the bright skies. Rain and hail are common in the fall, and can often be a brutal reminder for those who take the season lightly that weather can be very dangerous.

Wash and Wax Your Vehicle

You may be surprised to learn that a good wash and a coating of wax can help your vehicle triumph in even the most extreme fall weather. Rust and corrosion can be warded off with just a little extra time and care. 

Allow for More Travel Time

Because the fall season can be so unpredictable, you want to try your best to remain ahead of schedule. The less you have to rush to get some place, the less dangerous it will be should you get caught in a storm. 

Get a Brake and Tire Check

During the fall season, your local mechanic can be your best friend. Safety does not simply come from you being aware of your surroundings and the weather; it also comes from your vehicle being in the proper shape. Bring it in for a brake check and a tire check before the fall season starts, to ensure that your brake pads are sufficient and your tires have enough tread.

Wind Shield Wiper Replacements

With heavy rains a very realistic potential, before autumn hits you should consider upgrading your wind shield wipers if they are not currently satisfactory, or if your current pair are damaged in any way. Experts also say that even if they are not damaged, your blades should be replaced every five thousands miles. Contoured blades with rubber bumpers are favored for the fall and the winter, as they have more power and will work easier to get more water and/or snow from your wind shield. 

Heater and Defroster 

Fogged up windows can make fall driving a terrible experience. Most of us have experienced this, and know it well and true. In order to avoid having to face this issue ever again, check that both your heater and your defroster are working. If your car was made in the past two decades, the back wind shield will most likely have a defrosting function as well as the front wind shield. If there are any problems with either, you will want to bring your vehicle in for repair before the fall weather comes. 

Preparing Your Tires for Winter

All year round there is only one thing between your vehicle and the ground; your tires. During the winter, this does not change. However the winter weather is a whole new challenge to your vehicle, and your tires will need to be paid attention to if you are to have a safe and stable drive each day through the snow, sleet and even ice. So we are going to talk about some of the ways that you can prepare your tires for winter, and avoid as many nasty scares as possible. 

Performing a Basic Winter Tire Check

You do not need to be a professional to perform a basic winter tire check. In fact it is one of the easiest things that you can do for winter car maintenance. First, you want to look at the tire’s tread. You should be able to visibly see the groves on the flat part of the tire. You can feel them to see how deep they are, but in many cases this is not necessary; if you can not see a tread, then your tires are bald and will need to be replaced before winter. A bald tire is a dangerous tire as it has no traction, and will cause your vehicle to slip on ice, snow and a variety of other surfaces. Once you have determined whether or not your tires have tread, you will want to check your tire pressure. To do this, simply use a tire pressure reading gauge. Check all four tires, and write down the psi readings. Then, check your vehicle’s owner’s manual to see what the proper psi reading for your tires should be, and fill your tires accordingly. 

Getting New Tires or Winter Tires

If your tires were looking bald, or if there was not enough tread for you to be certain (i.e. if your tires are over two years old and have had moderate to heavy use) then you will want to bring your car in to an auto repair shop to get your tires changed. Once there, you will have two options; you can get regular tires (there are many kinds, such as performance) or specialty tires, such as snow tires or all season tires. Specialty tires will, for the most part, have a better traction, and offer you a better and more controllable ride. This is because they have deeper treads, and the treads themselves are designed in patterns that are specifically created for seasonal driving weather. 

Do I Need to Buy New Tires?

You do not need to buy new tires if your tires have decent tread. However you should know that new tires will help your vehicle to handle better in the winter. It is highly suggested that if your tires are bald, you replace them before winter. “Testing them out” is not a very good idea; bald tires are notoriously bad at handling the snow, and even worse at ice because they can not get even a fraction of the traction or friction that “healthy” tires are able to achieve.