Is your vehicle ready for OLD MAN WINTER?
When I was on the sales floor on a more consistent basis, one of the things I used to joke around about with my guests was "Welcome to Wisconsin.....where you can have all four seasons in one day!" And we would laugh and laugh and then cry because we knew it was true.
Being from Wisconsin is a great thing, we have the seasons that most parts of the country aren't able to experience. However, with that being said, we also know that in the fall with winter right around the corner we should take precautions with our vehicles to make sure they are safe and ready for old man winter.
Oliver Motors makes sure that any vehicle you purchase from Baraboo or Sun Prairie has gone through and passed not only the State of Wisconsin 45 point safety inspection but a total of 110 point safety inspection on every car we sell. But what if you aren't looking to buy a new vehicle? How can you tell if the vehicle you're driving is ready for winter? Is it something you can do yourself? Is it better to take to a shop?
Many people think that the vehicle they are driving is fine....... it's safe, I don't hear any noises or see any warning lights on so I have nothing to worry about........ But that's not true! Much like going to get a check-up or a routine visit with your doctor as a preventative measure to ensure you are healthy and to help prevent big issues from rising, you should have your vehicle do the same.
Vehicles are a man-made machine, and parts wear, some faster than others, and when one part wears, it can sometimes lead to a domino effect and take out other parts that are directly or indirectly connected to it. This is why it's so important to have routine checkups.
For example, a tie rod that is going or needs replacement, if not repaired, could in turn screw up the alignment of your vehicle, putting stress and taking out the wheel bearing, which would also destroy the tire. So a $100.00 fix if caught right away could save you $500.00 plus down the road. Another example of a large end repair bill for a minor precautionary measure would be not properly doing your oil changes. Many people don't understand that a simple oil change can stop major issues that could hurt the internal mechanics of the motor, and not doing a $19.99 oil change could cost you $3,500.00 or more in replacing a motor.
What to focus on when making sure your vehicle is ready for the season (some are normal routine check-up items)
Tune Up- Making sure that your vehicle has new plugs/ wires to help ensure that your vehicle doesn't flood out in cold weather due to a faulty/ dirty plug or broken/loose wire.
Coolant Check- With the colder weather and temps you want to make sure that your coolant can handle the cold temps and that it doesn't freeze which could destroy your motors. A safe coolant is good to -30 degrees.
Battery Check- Very much like your coolant, you want to make sure that your battery cranking amps are adequate for the cold weather to help with the cold starts. You will need to see what the cold-cranking amps are for your battery and have the battery tested to see if it is strong enough to last the season.
Tires- Many people look at tires and think that they have more than enough tread. It's very important to make sure that the tires that are on your vehicle have over 50% tread depth so that it has enough tread to give you traction in the snow and help more on the ice. This is a very important step to take, the rest of the vehicle can be perfect, but if the tires are bald, you can slide through a stop sign or off the road and do thousands of dollars of damage to your vehicle and others proerty,
Brakes/ ABS/ Traction Control- it's very important to make sure that your brakes will be strong for the winter season, if the brakes should have issues it could domino into the ABS and traction control which are important features to help slow and keep from sliding from a start in the snow and ice.
Front suspension work- Ball Joints, Idler arms, Pitman Arms, Tie-rods should all be looked at and made sure they will not have any issues during the season. With the build-up of snow, it will be harder to feel if one or all are going bad, and if you should accidentally slide off the road, there isn't a chance a weak part will hold leaving you stranded in a situation you may have been able to back out if the part was replaced.
and last but not least, as minor, as it sounds, wiper blades- Such a small inexpensive item can be sometimes the most important. Just try driving once in the rain and don't turn on your wipers, now add accumulating snow. It's very important that your wipers are new, can clear, and not streak your front windshield.
There are some people who have the time, skill, and tools to examine and if need be repair the above services. For everyone else, shops like OM Finishing Touch will do inspections on your vehicle to look the vehicle over and recommend services that should be addressed immediately or soon down the road. At OM Finishing Touch, they do the exact same 110 pt safety inspection during the inspection that they do when they safety the vehicles for Oliver Motors.
OM Finishing Touch now through December 15th, 2020 will be doing FREE SAFETY INSPECTIONS to help ensure that your vehicle is ready for winter driving. If you are looking for a reputable shop to look over your car give OM Finishing Touch a call at 608-318-1115 and schedule an appointment.
