Be Prepared for the Most Common Winter Car Issues with Help from an Auto Shop in Athens County, OH

With winter weather wreaking havoc everywhere, it is important to understand just what your car is up against so that you can be as prepared as possible all season. For help preventing some of the more common car concerns that occur when the temperatures dip, your auto shop in Athens County, OH is here with a few issues that you should be on the lookout for:

• Coolant levels: If your car doesn’t have enough antifreeze during the winter, your car could be susceptible to expensive radiator and engine damage. Because the water portion of the coolant mixture freezes and expands as the temperatures drop and then rise again, a car that lacks the correct amount of antifreeze to keep the entire liquid mixture from freezing could be at risk for a cracked engine block or worse.
• Use caution when cleaning off your car: The extremely cold temperatures can cause the trim and plastic on the frame of your car to become brittle, making them very easy to break. That means that something as simple as brushing the snow off of your car after a large storm could fracture or snap these sensitive parts right off, forcing you to pay out of pocket for replacement parts. Take care when cleaning off your car, especially in the areas around the windows and your headlights and taillights.
• Batteries: A dead car battery is one of the most common issues that drivers experience during the winter months, as older or weakened batteries are particularly vulnerable to failure when the temperatures drop. To avoid being stranded in the cold in a car that won’t start, be sure to test your battery every fall to see if it has what it takes to make it through another winter.
• Thickened fluids: Although the fluids that keep your car running have been specially formulated to prevent them from freezing, it will take a little while to warm them up and get them moving at the normal pace. To aid the process, give your car a little time to warm up after you start it, and expect stiffer movements for the first few miles once you are on the road.
• Windshield wipers: Without your windshield wipers, it would be impossible to safely make your way to your destination in inclement weather. When the temperatures are below freezing, it is possible for your wipers to get stuck to the windshield, and pieces of the rubber can tear away as you attempt to separate them from the glass. For that reason, it is important to monitor the condition of your wipers throughout the season, and replace them immediately if the need arises.

If you need to visit an auto shop in Athens County, OH to make sure that your car gets the extra care it needs when the winter weather gets worse, give us a call at Dana’s Tire Center. Our knowledgeable mechanics have years of experience with vehicles of all makes and models. Pay us a visit to learn about all of the services we offer to ensure that your car makes it through another winter safe and sound.

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