Do These 6 Things to Your Car Before Washington Winter Hits

Winter arrives tonight in the Washington State mountains and you better be prepared! If you have not finished these 6 things to get ready for winter you better start RIGHT NOW! Almost all of these you can do yourself!

Install Snow or New All Season Traction Tires

One of the most important things that you can do is install the right tires for the winters in the northwest. If your tires have no traction, nothing else is going to matter. Good all-season tires will work if they are new and the snow is not that deep. If you do not have all-wheel drive and you drive a lot, I would recommend getting actual snow tires. They make a world of difference.

Check All Your Fluids

There are a lot of different fluids to check so if you are not familiar, let your trusted mechanic check for you. I always check the oil, coolant, brake, and wiper fluids. Also, make sure you are putting in the correct kind. Some cars are picky.

Replace Your Air Filter

This is one of the most overlooked maintenance items overlooked in cars. It is cheap and should only take you a few minutes to do. I try and replace mine every 6 months but if you're stingy, hold it to the light to see how dirty it is. If it looks dirty replace it and make sure you install it correctly.

Install New Wiper Blades

Being able to see should be a priority while you are driving. New wiper blades really make a difference with the muddy roads you will encounter on northwest winter roads. Once again, cheap and easy to do. Watch YouTube if you're having trouble.

Keep Your Gas Tank Over Half Full

You may not know it but gas in the wintertime can have water vapor mixed in. If you let your tank get too low, the water can get into your engine causing it to either run crappy or not at all. It happened to me once and my car just stopped running a few miles down the road. If you keep your tank over half full, you'll never have that problem.

Make Sure You Pack an Emergency Kit

Emergency kits are important because you just never know what can happen while you are driving Washington roads in the winter. A good kit will have reflectors, flares, jumper cables, bottled water, a fire kit, a first aid kit, and maybe some simple snacks. These are especially important if you're traveling with kids or long distances.

That should be good, now just drive safe and enjoy the weather!