After a long Manitoba winter, most of us are looking forward to the warmer months ahead. For many of us, this means trips to the cottage, camping and maybe if we’re lucky, weekend road trips or a long-awaited vacation.
Winter conditions have been hard on your vehicle. Spring is the perfect time to bring your vehicle in for a full inspection to identify any minor issues before they become major ones.
Here are some tips to keep your vehicle running safely this season.
- Change your oil and filter. Extreme temperature fluctuations can cause condensation to form in your engine oil. Changing your oil is one of the best ways to keep your engine running trouble free.
- Have your fluid levels checked. This includes the power steering fluid, brake fluid, engine coolant, transmission fluid; differential fluids (if applicable). Keep in mind if any of these fluids are low, this could indicate a leak.
- Have your battery tested. Extreme temperatures are hard on your vehicle’s battery. Also, make sure that the battery terminals are corrosion free.
- Inspect wiper blades. Snow and ice can cause damage. We usually don’t find out they need replacement until we need to use them.
- Have your belts and hoses inspected. Cold temperatures can cause damage to rubber. Look for soft/hard spots, blistering and cracking on hoses, and fraying or wear on belts.
- Have your filters inspected. Including the engine air filter, cabin air filter and fuel filter (if applicable). Changing out a dirty engine air filter can improve fuel mileage as much as 10%.
- Inspect all lights. Make sure you can see and be seen.
- Have the brake system inspected.
- Have your wheel alignment along with steering and suspension components inspected. Pothole season in the spring can knock out your alignment and cause damage resulting in irregular wear on tires or worse.
- Consider changing out your winter tires soon. This will obviously depend on how long winter decides to hang on. The best time to change them out is when the temperature is consistently +7 degrees Celsius of higher.
- Treat your vehicle to an extensive cleaning inside and out. Washing away road salt can help to prevent rust; damage to the body and under carriage.
Tire maintenance
Check your tire pressures at least once a month. This should be done when the tires are cold. The recommended tire pressure for your vehicle can be found on the tire information label usually located on the driver’s door or door pillar. Do not use the pressure indicated on the tire, as this represents the maximum limits for the tire and is not necessarily correct for your vehicle. This is also a good time to inspect tires for cuts, cracks, or bulges.
Rotate your tires on a regular basis. It is recommended to do this at every 10,000 km interval. This will help to prevent irregular wear and make your tires last longer.
Seasonal tires should be stored clean, dry, and bagged in a sheltered location, free from exposure to sunlight or strong artificial light, heat, or ozone (electrical motors). When storing tires mounted on rims, the best option would be to hang them on hooks or to place them on a rack. If your tires are not mounted on wheels, a rack is recommended. If you must stack the tires, you should reconfigure them once a month. Fountain Tire offers tire storage solutions if you require.
It may seem daunting and overwhelming to stay on top of your vehicle in these key areas. However, we at Fountain Tire offer services that cover all these and more. We tailor our full-service oil change packages to the current season and diligently inspect your vehicle. We have the leading edge in digital inspection software. Fountain Tire’s contactless Digital Vehicle Report offers full transparency of the current condition of your vehicle with detailed pictures and notes directly from the technician to you, via text or email.
Wherever you are headed this spring, Fountain Tire is here to help you get there safely. After all, we are on this road together.
Fountain Tire | 3020 Portage Ave | 204-888-0808 | fountaintire.com
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