Winter Car Care Tips

In most parts of the country, winter can be the harshest time of year for your vehicle, so it's important to take care of it both inside and out. Freezing temperatures, road salt, slush and snow can wreak havoc on all vehicle parts and systems. 

Keeping everything in tune can mean the difference between a safe, smooth ride and a trip to the repair shop. The car care experts at Jiffy Lube recommend the following tips for keeping your vehicle running and safe on the road through the cold winter months: 

1)Check your antifreeze/coolant
Antifreeze helps control the temperature of a vehicle’s engine. Since it remains liquid and does not freeze in cold temperatures, antifreeze also helps protect the engine during extreme cold starts. Servicing your vehicle’s cooling system according to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations can help you avoid costly repairs down the line. Check your owners’ manual for how often it should be replaced.  

2)Watch the wiper blades
The normal life expectancy for most windshield wiper blades is six to 12 months. Check and clean the windshield wiper blades or replace them if necessary. Checking and replacing them as needed can improve visibility to help avoid a very dangerous situation on the road -- particularly in snowy and stormy conditions. 

3) Make sure the battery is strong
A weak battery is less reliable and can take longer to start your car on cold mornings. In fact, a weak battery could lose about one third of its power or more in colder conditions (e.g. below 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Make sure that connections are tight and free of corrosion and have your battery tested to ensure it has ample power to withstand the cold. Start the car with the heater, lights and window defrosters turned off to minimize battery strain. 

4)In case of emergency
Maintain a vehicle emergency kit including a first aid kit, jumper cables, flashlight, bottled water, extra blankets, gloves and hat, granola/energy bars, duct tape, and a can of Fix-a-Flat. You never know when you will need these essentials.

5)Clean the engine air filter
The engine air filter is a vehicle’s lung. A clean air filter helps the engine combust an optimal air-to-fuel mixture, making it run more smoothly and efficiently. When your air filter is clogged, your engine has to work harder and therefore is not operating at peak performance. Check your vehicle owner’s manual to find out when it needs to be replaced.  

6) Pay attention to oil grade

Motor oil lubricates the engine, keeping it cool and reducing the friction between moving parts. As motor oil circulates, it also cleans away harmful dirt and contaminants. In general, you should use the lightest grade of oil your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends for the conditions you drive in. During the winter, this may mean an even lighter grade than usual. Most vehicle owner’s manual specifies the correct grade of motor oil for your vehicle during certain driving conditions and seasons.

7) Keep an eye on tire pressure

Under-inflated tires create extra friction where the rubber meets the road. Improperly inflated tires also wear unevenly, which can impact your vehicle’s traction on the road and possibly lead to a dangerous blowout. Check your tire pressure regularly and make sure all of them are filled to the correct level -- and remember your spare tire, which can lose pressure in the cold.  

Proper tire pressure is vehicle-specific. Tire pressure information for a vehicle is found on a decal typically in the vehicle’s door jamb or in the vehicle owner’s manual. Do not follow the pressure listed on the sidewall of the tire, as this number is specific to the tire, not the vehicle.
 

Lengthen the Life of Your Tires

 
Take care of your tires and they’ll take care of you. Here are some quick, simple steps to add time to your tires’ useable lifespan.

1)Air Pressure Tips

Proper inflation is essential for the performance and longevity of the tire. It’s also essential for the ride quality and safety of your vehicle. Your tires carry the entire weight of your vehicle. They cannot do their job properly when underinflated or overinflated. Operating your tires underinflated can also result in a tire failure.

2) Rotation Tips

Regular rotation helps extend the life of your tires, saving time and money in the long run. For rotation, each tire and wheel is removed from your vehicle and moved to a different position. This ensures that all of the tires wear evenly and last longer. If no period is specified in your vehicle owners manual, tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. If you have a full-size spare, it should be included in the rotation process. Get free rotation reminders.

3) Alignment Tips

Alignment generally refers to the adjustment of a vehicle's front and rear suspension parts. Proper alignment helps ensure that your vehicle handles correctly and will help increase the life and performance of your tires.

4) Balancing Tips

Balancing compensates for the weight of the tire and wheel assembly after the tire is mounted. A wheel is out of balance when one area is heavier or lighter than the rest. This can cause eccentric treadwear and vibration, plus increase the stress on the front-end parts, causing them to wear prematurely.

Safe Driving Tips

Parents, when your teen took on-the-road lessons, the instructor had his/her own rear view mirror. You can also get one for approximately $4 at any Wal-Mart, Target or baby supply store. They can be found in the baby section and were designed for looking at your baby in the rear seat. They work wonderfully for seeing traffic behind the car when driving with your teen.
  
Before driving a car, do a simple safety check. Turn on the lights and walk around the vehicle to ensure that all lights are in working order. Also check your blinkers for proper operation. Look for any fluid leaks or things hanging from the vehicle. Check that the tires are properly inflated.
  
When you get into the car, adjust all mirrors and seats before placing the key in the ignition. To properly adjust the left mirror place your head against the left window and adjust the mirror so that you can just see the left side of the car. For the right, move your head towards the center of the vehicle and adjust the right mirror in the same way. When you are sitting correctly in the driver's seat, you will not be able to see your vehicle, but your blind spots will be greatly reduced!
  
Always wear your seatbelts.
  
Always drive with your headlights on, a car is visible for nearly 4 times the distance with it's headlights on even during daytime hours.
  
When stopping at a stop sign, be sure to feel the car rock backward and spell S-T-O-P to yourself before proceeding. Always turn your head to look left, then right, straight ahead, then left again before proceeding.
  
When a light turns green, look left, then right, straight ahead, then left again before proceeding through the light. Notice all vehicles and ensure that someone else is not going to run the light.
  
Keep your eyes moving. Notice what is happening on the sides of the road and check behind you through your mirrors every 6-8 seconds.
  
When driving on a two lane road that allows parking on the right, stay toward the center line to allow for room if someone were to open their door to exit their vehicle in front of your car. This forethought will help you from swerving to miss an opening door. If there is no parking allowed on the road position your car toward the right to allow for more room between you and oncoming traffic.
  
Expect the other drivers to make mistakes and think what you would do if a mistake does happen. For example, do not assume that a vehicle coming to a stop sign is going to stop. Be ready to react if it does not stop. Never cause an accident on purpose, even if a pedestrian or another vehicle fails to give you the right-of-way.
  
Every time that you re-fuel, check your oil and other fluid levels. Look for noticeable leaks throughout the engine compartment.
  
If your car stalls on the road, do not leave your car. Wait for the proper authorities to come to your aid. Do not let someone talk you into leaving your vehicle.
  
When traveling behind other vehicles, there should be at least a 4 second space between your vehicles. When the car in front of you passes a stationary object, slowly count to yourself. If you pass the object before the allotted time, you should back off. When traveling at night or inclement weather, these times should be doubled. 
  
Don't talk on a cell phone while driving. Phones detract from your ability to concentrate on the road and increase your chance of a collision by nearly 400%. If you must use the phone, pull over to a safe, well-lit parking lot and place your call there. After completing your call you may continue on your way.
  
Take a lesson from pilots. When leaving for an out of home trip, be sure to give an itinerary to someone back at home with the route of travel, approximate time of arrival and a contact number at your destination. Do not deviate from this plan without informing your at-home contact. If you are traveling a long distance, check in throughout the trip with a current location and any changes in your route or times. If something were to happen, this information may be used to narrow the search.
  
When being approached by an emergency vehicle, pull to the right shoulder of the road and STOP. Put on your hazard lights to allow others to see you better.
  
Carry in your vehicle, in an easy to find place, all contact numbers that you may need as well as Emergency contact information, personal information and any outstanding medical needs that you may have.
  
Leave early, plan to arrive 10 minutes before the appointed time. Speeding does not increase your ability to arrive on time, rather it only increases your chances of not arriving at all. 
  
When traveling on a multiple lane road, keep in mind that the left most lanes are for passing only. If not actively passing a vehicle, stay in the right lanes, allowing others to pass.
  
Avoid the "No-Zone" with trucks or busses, they cannot see you from many areas. Remember if you cannot see the driver in the truck's rear view mirrors, they cannot see you! Also remember that trucks make large right turns. 



There is an old saying... "If the roads are wet, then drive like it's snowing. If the roads have snow, then drive like they're icy. If the roads are icy, then don't drive."
 
 
In inclement weather, if it is necessary to reduce one's speed, the brake should be applied slowly without making sudden moves. When making sudden moves it's much easier to lose control of your vehicle.
 
Remember as your speed increases so does your braking distance. If you double your speed, you quadruple your braking distance. If you double the weight of your vehicle, you double the stopping distance. 


 
 

 

Tips For Cleaning Paint Car

Cleaning your paint does not mean washing your car, it means removing oxidation and contaminants, adding emollient oils back into the paint and smoothing out the surface of the paint. There are several products on the market that will accomplish one, two or all three of these functions. In fact, there are so many products by so many names, that the correct choice may be confusing. Before we start, let's define some broad categories of products. 

CLEANER: A cleaning agent may be either friction or chemical. A friction cleaner is usually either a silicate or clay particulate. If you examine your paint through a microscope, it would look like a mountain range with peaks and valleys. The friction or abrasive (don't get nervous at the word abrasive) type cleaner will clip the tops of these mountains off and help fill in the valleys, to approach the optimum smooth plane that offers the greatest depth of shine. Friction cleaners are usually described as fine, medium or heavy cut. When in doubt, use the least aggressive product. A chemical cleaner will usually strip equal amounts of hill and dale and thus not help smooth the paint. A cleaner should also remove old wax and other contaminants in the paint. Chemical type cleaners are usually more effective in removing the remains of 100 M.P.H. bugs, stains, tree sap and tars. Avoid silicone-based products as they are not beneficial to paint and can cause problems down the road. Ask any professional car painter their thoughts on silicone products, and you will usually get a 30-minute tirade.

GLAZE: A glaze usually denotes a superfine friction type of cleaning agent, usually with essential emollients and lubricating oils and may even contain some mild chemical cleaners. Glazes will usually remove mild swirl marks, scratches, refresh the paint with oils and smooth out the finish.

POLISH: A polish is normally a non-abrasive product based on a nutrient oil matrix and may or may not have a chemical cleaner as part of the package. Most polishes use fillers to help cover swirl marks.

COMPOUND: A compound is the "coarse sandpaper" of the paint-cleaning world. This should be used only if the paint is in serious trouble and all else has failed. If you are one step away from 1-800-NEW-PAINT, then you may consider a compound.

CLAY: Literally a plasticene/abrasive mixture used to smooth new paint and remove over spray. This type of product must be used with lots of lubricant. The technique of using a clay is a learned skill. Use too little lubricant, or get contaminants in the clay, and you have moved into scratch city. This is one product that is the fast lane to trouble if not used with extreme care. I do not recommend this product as a general paint cleaner. You literally grind off a layer of paint. Should be used as was intended, to remove paint over spray.

CLEANER/WAX: A combination, one-step chemical cleaner and a wax. I am not a fan of these types of products, as they are required to perform two very diverse functions simultaneously. A cleaner should remove old wax, so how does it simultaneously apply a coat of new wax? You may wish to use this type of product only in emergency situations or on your Yugo.

WAX: There are two broad categories of wax, organic and polymer based. The organic waxes may be derived from plants such as Carnauba, or varmints, such as bee's wax or some of the K-Mart specials contain paraffin refined from dead dinosaurs. The polymer-based waxes are usually collected from specially trained robotic bees that gather the polymer nectar from plastic flowers (or it may be made in chemical factories).

Tips for Washing your Car

What is the best product to use as a car wash? The correct answer is use what you like the best. There are some drawbacks to certain products and advantages to others. Dish detergents (Ivory Liquid, etc.) may be used, but realize that these products are designed to remove animal or vegetable fat from fired ceramic. They look at your nice coat of wax with the same hungry eyes. If you enjoy washing and rewaxing weekly, then dish detergent is for you. Wax retailers love people who use Ivory Liquid (they send the Ivory Company Christmas Cards every year). 

If you prefer to have your wax last a lot longer, you may consider using a product that is specifically designed for automotive use. The quality products are based upon detergents instead of soaps. Most soaps are manufactured from rendered animal byproducts (the stuff the dog food people reject). They contain trace elements that can actually damage your paint. These trace elements are the same goodies that leave a ring in your bathtub. The exception is soaps manufactured from plant fats. (These leave mold in your tub - just Kidding)

Quality car washes/shampoos (same thing - most cars don't have hair) are usually pH controlled, contain gloss enhancers and some even have small amounts of water-soluble wax for good measure. Use only enough car wash to break the electrostatic/ionic bond between the dirt and your car. Start with a clean large bucket (preferably plastic - if you kick the metal bucket, Mr. Paint Chip rears his ugly head); add a small amount of the car wash and fill with cool water. Avoid hot water, as it will soften the wax. Read the directions on the car wash bottle and try reducing the recommended amount by half. I use less than a cap full in 5 gallons. The more car wash, the more wax you remove. Try to avoid powder car washes as the undissolved granules can lodge under your sponge or wash mitt and scratch the paint surface. Make sure that your car is in the shade and the paint surface is relatively cool. Rule of thumb #1: If you can comfortably hold your hand on the hood, you can wash/wax the car.

Spray the car with a gentle spray to thoroughly wet the surface. Don't use a 200 P.S.I. fire hydrant spray, it isn't needed and may grind the surface grime into the paint and cause scratches. Some of the concours purists will not use a nozzle on the hose at all. Start at the top of the car and work down. Rewet the top; gently wash the top and then rinse. Move onto another section, such as the trunk or hood. Rewet this area, wash and rinse. Continue on down the car, completing a section at a time. This way, the car wash does not dry on the paint.