If you want your vehicle to perform well this winter, then you need to take it in for routine maintenance in Conway, AR, as well as practice safe driving. With these things in mind, here are a few winter driving safety tips.
Visit your mechanic
Before the winter weather sets in, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with your trusted mechanic to ensure that everything about your vehicle is working as it should be. You wouldn’t want a key auto part to come loose or find yourself broken down due to a simple mechanical fix. Don’t skip out on things like oil changes and seasonal car inspections. At the shop, make sure that routine maintenance in Conway, AR includes flushing and replacing all fluids, a thorough inspection of the tires, a brake check and a test of all electrical components.
Wintertime can wreak havoc on autos, but you can avoid costly repairs when you perform regular maintenance checks and drive safely on slick roads.
Replace wiper blades
It’s important that your wipers are in good condition to clear your windshield when it’s raining or snowing. As a car owner, you should replace wipers every six months, even if they were not used much, and more often if you do a lot of driving in wet weather. And don’t let the visual appearance of your wipers fool you. While they may look intact with minimal wear and tear, the truth is that they may be likely to rip apart, crack and crumble as soon as you try to wipe away rain or snow.
Remember, year-round sun rays can weaken blades, and not being able to see can make driving in harsh winter weather even more dangerous than it already is.
Don’t drive with ice or snow on your car
If you have snow or ice on your vehicle, you must remove it before driving. Leaving snow piled on your roof is especially dangerous in that it can fall off forward or backward onto windows, blocking your view. Also, snow that’s been riding on the top of your vehicle can turn icy and hard. If a big enough chunk falls into the road behind you, other motorists may hit it or have it come crashing through their windshield. Make sure to remain parked until you’ve brushed the snow off the car and scraped ice from the windows.
Also, as you may already know, heavy snow can indeed bury your Audi or BMW under feet of snow. Time to break out your snow shovel!
Slow down
Be aware that slushy snow and ice-covered roads make for slippery driving conditions. This makes it difficult for tires to get a good grip on the pavement, and losing traction also means losing some or all control over your vehicle. When driving this winter, ease off the gas and take is slow so you have enough time to stop should things begin to get chaotic on the roadway.
If you drive a high performance foreign car and need special services and routine maintenance in Conway, AR, call to schedule an appointment with Riverdale Automotive today.