Winterizing Your Vehicle

A carpet of fresh snow, crisp air, icicle-decorated trees—all very heartwarming concepts when viewed from in front of a roaring fireplace. Yet, whatever your view of winter may be, one reality that can't be escaped is that we all have to maintain a fairly normal driving schedule for the duration of the season.

Checklist
If that first winter's snow storm—when the temperature dips below freezing and threatens to stay there for months—sends you deep into your down comforter, think how your automobile must feel. Just as homeowners must make changes around late October to prepare themselves for winter, consider the following checklist as your strategy to prepare the household's transportation for the rigors of the season.

Anti-Freeze Check
First, check your anti-freeze. Most anti-freezes are an ethylene glycol based fluid with low freezing and high boiling points when mixed with water. As one example, GM vehicles use a particular anti-freeze with a 100,000-mile or 10-year rating. We specifically mention this because (it's red in color) it shouldn't be mixed with other anti-freezes (usually green or beige).


The rule of thumb for changing the fluid is simple: if you didn't change it last winter, do it now. The recommended lifetime is two years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first. Even if the fluid looks relatively fresh, anti-freezes include chemicals that lubricate water pumps and inhibit engine corrosion. These chemicals lose their punch at the end of the recommended lifetime.

Oil Check
Next is the motor oil. Check your owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommended winter rating. A 10W30-weight oil works for everything short of arctic or alpine winter conditions. If you use thicker oil for severe summer driving conditions and are looking at a comparatively cold winter, this is the time to change the oil and switch to a thinner weight.