Getting Your Vehicle Ready For Fall | Danbury, CT

But for those of you who like getting your hands a little dirty, this week we have a ‘ready for winter’ checklist to help get you started on your fall maintenance…or at least have you schedule an appointment to get these services done! So take a peek below and be sure to stop into Loughead Mercedes-Benz of Danbury this month for all of your fall maintenance needs!

Battery Power: 

• Making sure your battery is fresh is important. The experts say you should change your battery every 3 years, though you could get away with 5 depending on how much you drive…If you’re thinking to yourself “I can’t remember the last time I changed my battery,” it might be time to do so. 
• Make sure the cables are not loose. With the engine off, see if the cables can slip free from the nodes. Don’t yank, but be firm.
• Check for corrosion, a white powder that forms around the nodes or clamps of your battery. You can clean this off using baking soda, water, and a toothbrush. 

Fill your Fluids:

• It might cost you a little bit more but invest in a “winter blend” type of windshield wiper fluid. These tend to have more alcohol in them and less water so the chance of freezing is less. 
• If your windshield washer fluid tank hasn’t been flushed in a few years then it could use it! Be sure not to mix colors; most antifreeze is green, blue, or yellow, but be sure not to mix colors.
• Checking your vehicle’s oil is important. If you have not had an oil change in a long time, it might be time for one.

Additional Preventative Measures: 

• Buy an emergency kit with cables, a first aid kit, flares, a battery-powered air compressor, and other things that can prevent a minor inconvenience from becoming a major problem.
• Check the clarity of all your lights. 
• Keeping the gas tank at half-filled can help prevent a fuel line freeze; so can that fuel-line antifreeze mentioned earlier.
• Tire pressure is important in the snow, be sure that your vehicle’s tires are to the correct PSI.