You see some scary things around Halloween time. Witches, warlocks, werewolves, and, worst of all, vehicles of those who are oblivious to the pending doom of winter. You can only shudder and pray for their survival.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little foresight, your vehicle can stride into frigid climes with confidence and strength, like Lady Gaga heading into an audition for So You Think You Can Dance?
Since most motorists are more than familiar with the items on our winter checklist, we offer them here only in the spirit of a gentle reminder. When the temperature drops a bit more, we’ll bring out the cattle prod.
Underbody oil spraying
As pleasurable as this may sound to have done to your own body, do not accompany your vehicle into the spray booth — it distracts the technicians.
Wiper health
Your wipers get overworked in winter, and are often the only things keeping you on the road and not in the ditch. Get new ones, preferably heavier ones designed for winter.
Battery health
Your battery also tends to get overworked in winter. If it’s more than four years old, it should be checked, and by that we mean “load tested” by a technician.
Wiper fluid
Obviously you need lots of this stuff, and in a winter blend which doesn’t freeze. Canadian Club doesn’t freeze either, but it’s a poor and expensive substitute. Spit is even more useless.
Engine coolent flush and replacement.
Modern coolants last years longer than their predecessors, so you don’t need to have this done every fall or winter, but at least have it checked for strength, cleanliness, and level.
I’m too close to a colonoscopy appointment to consider making light of anything to do with flushing.
Find the ice scraper
If you can’t remember where you put your scraper last spring, get a new one right away. You’ll need it sooner than you think. Once Halloween is past, winter can come fast.
