Oil Change in Longmont Co - Winterizing a Car

oil change longmont co is a necessity, but the winterizing of a vehicle requires so much more than just an oil change. Winterizing is the process by which a car is made road fit during the winter months as well as protected against the ravages of the extremes of temperature that comes with winter. How Does Winterizing Work? Winterizing a vehicle works by checking and changing all the moving parts that may become damaged or weakened by the lower temperatures. During regular usage in fall, the lowering of the temperatures start to affect fluids and connections within the vehicle to a point where it could damage the vehicle if not winterized on time.

8 Steps to Winterize a Car 1. Battery Check: Batteries require complex chemical interactions in order to produce electricity and as temperatures go down, the reactions slow up to a point where the battery can't generate power to turn the engine over. Get a mechanic to run a stress load test on the battery and replace it if it can't handle the test. 2. Change Wiper Blades and Refill Wiper Fluid: During winter months the roads are covered in snow and salt to make driving easier. This inevitably ends up on the windshield. Having new wipers and proper wiper fluid goes a long way to making it easier to see in the wintertime while driving through snowy areas. 3. Think About Getting Snow Tires: Snow tires aren't necessary, but are a good option for drivers situated in areas that are covered in snow all season long. The snow tires are more flexible than all-season tires and have treads specifically made to deal with acquiring a grip on snow covered roads.

4. Check Anti-Freeze: Antifreeze testers can be gotten cheaply from services stations to test the percentage of the water and anti-freeze mixture. Ideally this mixture should be 50-50 to ensure that the water in the radiator doesn't freeze and burst the pipes. 5. Stock up on Supplies: Emergency supplies need to be a staple in any driver's car because they aren't aware of when they will be faced with the problem of being stranded in a blizzard. It is important for drivers to be mindful of this, since the ravages of nature do not stop simply because someone's car broke down. 6. Check Tire Pressure: If a driver prefers to keep the all-season tires that he or she has on the car, having them inflated properly is even more important in winter than it is any other time of the year. For every 10 degree of temperature reduction in the surrounding air, the pressure in tires will drop by approximately 1PSI. Belts and Hoses: Cold weather preys on the rubber components of an engine and extreme cold can lead to weakening of rubber hoses and belts. These should be checked thoroughly and replaced if necessary. 8. Oil Change: Oil in its modern iterations are designed to run at very high temperatures and not break down. However, at low temperatures, automobile companies have developed specific mixtures of oil that are better for use in colder weather. Changing oil is important because leaving old in an engine as the temperature drops can seriously damage the engine because of the change in oil viscosity at lower temperatures.