PERFORM THESE 5 CHECKS BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAR IN WINTER

You should be taking steps to maintain your car at all times, but let’s be honest, most of the time your car won’t face problems if you forget a few of the small maintenance tasks. You can go a month or two without checking the tire pressure and it won’t be a huge deal. 

Unless you’re driving in the winter… Winter car maintenance is far more important thanks to the temperature dropping. It can be well below freezing overnight and this has an impact on your car. If you jump in and drive off without performing some key checks, your car may face a mixture of problems. This can hinder your safety and damage critical components of your vehicle. 

So, before you set off for winter journeys, make sure you perform these five checks: 

Fuel 

Always check that you’ve got enough fuel in your car throughout the winter. If you don’t, you can face a couple of problems: 

•  Running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere when it’s very cold 
• Your car not starting because there’s not enough fuel in it 

 The latter can happen when your fuel is in the red zone. There’s technically enough fuel in there to get you to a gas station, but the cold weather makes it harder for your engine to ignite such low levels of fuel. As such, you turn the ignition but the engine doesn’t kick into action. When you’re heading home from a journey, double-check that there’s enough fuel for the next one. If not, fill up on gas and then head home. 

When you’re not sure if there’s enough fuel to take you to a gas station, you should try to get there by other means. Perhaps a friend will let you ride with them and you can fill a jerry can up with fuel to take back home. Or, if you break down due to a lack of fuel, call a towing service to take you to the nearest gas station. 

Oil 

Next, you need to check your car’s oil levels. This is a crucial part of winter maintenance as oil will lubricate the moving parts of your car engine. When the temperature drops, these parts can get a lot stiffer and will need even more oil. 

So, if there’s not a good supply of oil in your car, these parts will struggle to function properly and can cause catastrophic issues. If you’re not careful, it could permanently damage the engine and mean you need a replacement. 

Some cars have oil level indicators but the manual way of checking is easy. Open your hood and locate the oil compartment - it’ll be on the engine. Pull out the dipstick and see if it is between the min and max levels. When the readings are below the minimum level, your car needs an oil top-up! Keep in mind that oil contracts when it’s cold, so you should check these readings when your car is still warm. Otherwise, it may seem like you’ve not got enough oil, causing you to overfill. 

Tires

You put a lot of faith in your tires when driving in the winter. Rain, snow, and ice lead to terrible driving conditions as the roads have less grip. For this reason, experts suggest having double the minimum tire tread level for additional traction. 

It’s really smart to get a tread depth gauge to perform this check. Some people use the quarter or penny method, but a proper tread depth gauge will give the most accurate readings. It helps you see how much your tires have worn down and if it’s time to replace them. 

Consider getting special winter tires for your car if you live in a freezing area with lots of snow and ice. Winter tires are designed to be a lot thicker and grippier, so they can handle these conditions better than normal tires. 

Coolant 

All car engines will need coolant to…well…cool the engine down. It’s what stops your engine from overheating, though you may assume it’s not as important during the winter. After all, cold weather means your engine will be colder, right? Surely low coolant levels aren’t an issue as there’s less chance of the engine overheating in these conditions…right?! 

Surprisingly, car engines can still overheat in the winter. If anything, there’s just as big of a chance as there is in hot weather. Because the engine starts cold, it tries to work harder to compensate. Without the right coolant levels, this can lead to overheating. 

There’s another key benefit to coolant; it contains something called anti-freeze. This solution stops the liquid from freezing inside your engine, so it doesn’t seize up in the winter. Check your coolant levels before every journey or you might end up with a frozen engine. 

Lights 

Lights are important throughout the year in all seasons, but winter is the darkest period of all. Consequently, your lights need to be on more often. You also need to ensure your fog lights work, just in case it gets hazy in the mornings. 

Turn your car on and go through all the light settings to be sure they work. This includes your blinkers - people need to see when you’re turning! It’s a good idea to wipe the lights as well before you get in the car, just to get rid of any dirt or ice that’s formed on them overnight. Even a thin layer of ice can obscure the lights for any cars behind or ahead of you. 

Speaking of ice, that’s sort of a hidden sixth check to do. Well, it’s not much of a check as you can clearly see if your car has ice covering it. Don’t drive off until it’s melted away. To do this, switch on the engine and turn the front screen de-misters on. This will heat the windscreen and you can sweep off any ice as it melts. If you’re in a rush, use an ice scraper to get as much off as possible. Never pour hot water on your windscreen as this can cause serious damage to the glass. 

Now, you’re all ready to head out on a winter journey without fearing what will happen to your vehicle!

Survive Winter Like an Artic Boss with Kungs Ice Scrapers & Snow Brushes

** A Geek Daddy received the featured products for free to review **

I've noticed the grass outside has begun to be coated white with frost each morning meaning winter weather and the snow that comes with will be here soon.  Snow covered landscapes around Michigan provide for some great scenery and fun times skiing, sledding and snowmobiling but can also be a real pain when it comes to driving your car around town. I recently partnered with Kungs -- a Finnish producer of premium snow brushes and ice scrapers that are tested in the harshest Arctic conditions -- to bring you some fun expert tips from one of the coldest countries on Earth: Finland.  With these tips and Kungs' products you can survive winter like an arctic boss!

*** KUNGS' 4 SECRETS TO SURVIVE WINTER LIKE AN ARTIC BOSS *** 

 1. USE THE COLD TO YOUR ADVANTAGE Low temperatures inspire many in the Nordic region to get together outside and enjoy the 'fresh' weather that only winter can bring. Take advantage of what winter has to offer: Plan a day trip to your nearest sauna, go sledding on the nearest hill or simply throw snow at your friends and family. Here's a "cool" idea: Pack a warm thermos of soup to enjoy after a wintertime ski run—and have a picnic right in the snow!

2. DRESS LIKE YOU MEAN IT One of the key reasons winter-haters despise the cold is that they simply don't know how to dress for it. The people of the Arctic know better. It's easy: Before heading outside, make sure you're properly clothed. The secret? Multiple layers. A thick winter coat is essential, along with waterproof gloves, wool socks, a scarf, a hat, and of course, snow boots! Several layers of pants can help, as well. Arctic tip: Allow yourself some extra time (10 minutes) to get in and out of those extra articles of clothing.

3. WINTERIZE YOUR CAR Got a car? Then you're going to want to prepare it to handle winter conditions without a hitch. Stock your car with an emergency kit, consider winter tires for better traction, and thoroughly check your battery before the cold strikes. In winter precipitation, visibility is crucial. Keep both a snow brush and a durable ice scraper on hand—and be sure your ice scraper can de-ice windshield wipers. Kungs ice scrapers and snow brushes can meet these needs and are available at Sears Auto Centers.

 4. YOU CAN ENJOY WINTER INDOORS, TOO The winter months are ideal for wrapping up in a blanket and cozying up next to a warm fireplace (or space heater), glass of wine in hand. Even the best Arctic bosses aren't afraid to enjoy the warmth and comfort of a winter day indoors. Arctic boss tip: Get cozy with your significant other and surprise them with a hot cocktail!

Many of us complain about winter and wish it would end sooner. But as the folks in Northern Europe know better than any of us, winter is a special season that can be thoroughly enjoyed—if you make the appropriate preparations. With my Kungs snow brushes and ice scrapers—and multiple layers of clothing—I'm ready for an adventurous winter on the road!

I have two pet peeves when it comes to people not properly cleaning their cars of snow during the winter.  First, only clearing a small patch of ice in front of the steering wheel so that they can hardly see.  Second, not clearing the top of a car so as it drives along  the snow flies off hitting surrounding cars and spraying across other people's windshields.  Driving without properly cleaning your car of snow during the winter really enhances your chances of getting into an accident but also puts other people on the road around you in harms way as well.  Kungs' Mega-Is Snow combination brush / ice scraper and Tele-Is telescopic snow shifter can make clearing your car off in the winter easy and elevate the hazards that come with driving a car covered in snow and ice.

The Mega-Is Snow snow brush / ice scraper features a triangular shaped ice scraper which has three sharp scraper blades. Its unique triangular shaped ice scraper has three sharp scraper blades, and it is easy to turn the scraper around to switch a new scraper side. The scraper blade is manufactured of 100% polycarbonate and designed to break through even the hardest ice. You can also easily clean the wiper blades of snow and ice with the help of the little notch in the ice scraper blade. The opposite Mega-Is' thick yet gentle brush also removes wet and dry snow so you can clean off a vehicle with one tool.

Have a problem not being able to reach your whole windshield, the middle of your hood, or the top of a car? Kungs' Tele-Is snow brush / ice scraper can help with that! It extends out to provide the extra length to make hard to reach areas accessible and when you're done its telescopic features allow it to me minimized for easy storage.

Made in Finland—a country with some of the harshest winters on the planet—Kungs snow brushes and ice scrapers combine Scandinavian design and ergonomics with the durability needed to handle whatever winter throws at you. Kungs just launched their line of environmentally friendly products (complete with a three-year warranty!) in the U.S., exclusively at Sears Auto Centers.  I'm looking forward to using Kungs' snow brushes and ice scrapers myself this winter to keep my own car safe and clean.