As winter comes to an end, it’s important to ensure your vehicle is maintained properly for optimal performance. To help with this, we’ve provided a detailed checklist to follow in this blog.
The checklist includes checking your tires, inspecting your brakes, and monitoring your fluid levels. Following these actionable maintenance tips will help you stay safe on the road and enjoy springtime driving.
Preparing the vehicle’s exterior and tires
Windshield and wipers
Winter takes its toll on a car’s windshield and wipers. With ice, sludge, and dirty roads, windshield wipers work tirelessly to ensure a clear view. Have a look at your windshield and wipers to ensure they’re in good shape for a rainy season. Check the windshield for any damage from rocks flying up into it or scrapes from ice removal.
We recommend changing your wiper blades every six months, and the switchover to spring is a great time to do it. Have they been leaving streaks? Do they consistently miss the same spot? Are the tips disconnecting? Are they making a strange sound? These are all reasons to replace your wipers so they don’t malfunction during a storm or fly off while driving.
Exterior cleaning
Your vehicle has likely come in contact with ice, mud, dirt from the road, and salt over the long winter months. Give the vehicle a good post-winter cleaning and then throughout the spring and summer, clean it occasionally.
Once your car is sparkling, consider waxing it. Not only does it make your vehicle look amazing and brand new, but it will also make it easier to keep clean. Bugs, grime, and rain will more than likely wipe off.
Get the best all-weather tires
If you don’t already have them, all-weather tires are great for season changes. These tires will make driving more enjoyable, secure, and reliable on any road condition from early morning frost to muddy afternoon thaw. Find the best all-weather tires here.
Under the hood
With the exterior prepared for spring, get started on the mechanics and fluids within the vehicle. Check your oil level (or better yet, get an oil change), brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid (this runs out quickly in the winter and spring).
How to check brake fluid:
- Find the brake fluid reservoir under the hood. It should be on the master cylinder. Your owner’s manual will help you find it.
- On the exterior of the reservoir is a maximum/minimum line. If the fluid is close to or at the minimum line, get a brake check.
- Check the colour of the brake fluid. Fresh brake fluid is clear with hints of green and blue or yellow and orange. If it’s dark or murky, get a brake check.
Brake checks
With that information about your brake fluid, or if you’ve noticed noises or different feelings when braking, have a brake check done at an auto body shop. Never wait to have your brakes inspected.
Check the vehicle’s timing belt
Cold temperatures can wear on the rubber of the engine belt. Having them inspected as the seasons change is proactive and will keep you from needing a new part, which can be quite costly.
Interior maintenance
As you did with the exterior, now it’s time to clean the interior. Some of this is simply for your driving comfort, but there’s more to it than that. Let’s have a look.
Basic cleaning
For your safety and comfort, clean and sanitize the interior of the vehicle. This will remove any allergens, germs, and hazards. Vehicles can get dirty quickly when we get into them after hikes, after getting gas, with children and pets, and after working around hazardous environments, such as construction, factories, hospitals, and more.
Take out and thoroughly clean the mats. They’ll have salt and dirt on them. Some drivers have a winter set of mats and a summer set so switch them out if you do. Wipe down the windows to have a clear view when driving.
Clear any buttons, screens, and controls of debris so they don’t get stuck or worn. Vacuum the seats and the floor (and don’t forget the trunk).
Air filters
Many people don’t even know about their vehicle’s air filters. Use your vehicle’s owner’s manual to find out where the air filters are and inspect them.
Air filters determine the air quality within your vehicle as well as the efficiency at which air circulates. Check their cleanliness, especially if you’ve noticed a difference in air quality while driving.
Checking safety equipment
Lastly, equip your vehicle with necessities in case of an emergency. If you already have one, make sure nothing is expired, everything still works, and that you replenish anything you may have used over the previous season.
- Is the spare tire inflated?
- Are jumper cables in good condition?
- Are water and snacks on hand?
- Does the flashlight work and have extra batteries?
- Are there warm clothes for emergencies?
Prepare these things and your vehicle for relaxing trips this summer. Take a look at the best all-season tires here for a refresh and make every month of the year safer on the road.