April is Car Care Month! Show your CAR some Spring Love & Care
WE MADE IT!
Winter 2020-2021 is over and spring is here. Winter is especially hard on cars and this year, in Philly, we had a grand one! I’m good on snow until next year and couldn’t be happier to feel 60 deg weather. I can’t wait to drive with the windows down and music way up! I bet you feeling the same way.
Your car is just as ready as you to lets its hair down and go spring/summertime wild after this harsh winter. Here are some tips on what your baby may need for spring. Make sure you have your PCT go over these thing on your car. If we are your PCT, make an appointment with us today and use one of our coupons or the Road Trip Ready Check ($75) to get a thorough Spring checkup and necessary maintenance and repairs of your vehicle.
Do you need an oil change? Winter is harsh on car fluids. A fresh, clean oil change will keep your engine happy and protected – especially if your car has been sitting around this winter.
Wipers and Washer fluid. Check your wipers for damage and washer fluid reservoir for amount. We see a lot of splitting wipers where the rubber wiper is peeling from the wiper’s arm. April Showers come down hard and winter is harsh on your wipers. Normally wipers get worn and damaged after about 6 months. Also, check the level of your washer fluid. Youprobably used a lot this winter.
Does your car have boogies? Check your engine and cabin air filters - Spring pollen bringsallergens and all types of extra debris and you want to make sure you have new filters tocatch all these bad actors with your filters.
Under the Hood Fluids. After winter, it’s a good idea to check coolant, power steering,brake, and transmission (if applicable) fluids under your hood to see if they are low orcontaminated and need to be replaced.
Belts and Hoses. Extreme weather compromises rubber materials causes belts to wear and break or hoses to cracks and leak. A quick visual and hand check on the belts and hosescan determine if they are in good condition.
Batteries. Batteries hate winter because they have to work harder to start their car. Checkthe battery for a charge, loose connections, and corrosion on the terminals.
Tires. Tires are rubber just like your belt and hoses and get worn and cracked from harsh weather. Use the penny trick to check tire tread. Pay attention to any uneven wear or other damage like nails/screws stuck in your tire.
Brakes. Since brakes are the most important system to your vehicle, it is always a good habit to get them checked every 6 months. If your brake pad thickness is less than 3 mm,change your brakes and rotors and consider getting a fluid flush while you there. Your brake system will feel brand new! If you haven’t had your brakes checked or replaced since before winter, I’ll get them checked out. While checking out your brakes inspect the brake lines and hoses for damage and rust. Damage to these can cause you to lose brake fluid.
A/C and Defrost. As the temperature increase here in the northeast so does the humidity. Don’t drive in a sweatbox. A/C is crucial to staying comfortable but it is also an important feature when you are driving in humid weather and it is raining. Fog on the windshield and windows will limit your sight when driving. A lot of people go into panic mode and turn on their wipers,defrost and heat to remove the fog from the windshield. However, the fog is actually moisture on the inside of the windshield so wipers won’t work. The fog isn’t icing like in the winter so putting the defrost on heat won’t work either. You must turn the defrost on A/C to remove fog from the inside of the window.
Steering and Suspension.Potholes are the devils – You know. I don’t need to express that potholes suck! You can find out how to avoid pothole damage here. Potholes not only wreck your tires and rims, but also do significant and costly damage to your steering and suspension components, brake lines and hoses, and exhaust pipes. Check your car for
Steering and Suspension parts looseness and damage. Examples of these parts are bushings, shocks/struts, control arms, tie rods, wheel bearings. When these parts are loose or damaged you tend to hear thumps, bumps, and creaks while you drive. I’ve seen cars with suspension parts about to fall off
Exhaust pipes like the muffler for holes, damage, and rust. When these are damaged you will hear your car coming down the road.
Your wheels may need to be aligned after hitting all these potholes. Unaligned wheels cause car drift and major uneven tire wear.
ONE LAST TIP...Your baby needs a wash! Spring cleaning isn’t just for your home. Your car needs agood thorough cleaning, inside and out! It will feel like you are driving a brand new car! I normally wait until winter is over to shampoo, vacuum, and wipe down the interior of my car to get all the salt and sand from the winter out. Every time it snows and salt is thrown down on the roads to melt snow/ice, that salt is kicked up on the car and underneath it. This salt sits on our car and its part and rusts them away.
Call or text us today to set up an appointment at 484-461-4693 to check over all 10 items on this list!