Every season change is a good excuse to give your vehicle twenty minutes of attention. Heading into the cold months, whenever they arrive where you live:
- Battery: cold mornings are when weak batteries die. If yours is more than three years old, have it load-tested.
- Tires: check tread depth and pressure. Pressure drops about 1 PSI for every 10 °C (1 PSI per 18 °F) the temperature falls. Swap to winter tires where the law or the weather demands it.
- Wipers and washer fluid: fit fresh blades and fill up with winter-rated fluid before the first frost, not after.
- Coolant: make sure the antifreeze concentration matches your climate. A cheap tester tells you in seconds.
- Lights: shorter days mean more driving in the dark. Walk around the vehicle and check every bulb, licence plate and fog lights included.
- Emergency kit: a scraper, jumper cables or a booster pack, a blanket, and a flashlight earn their place in the trunk all winter.
Log each item as you do it, so next year you'll know exactly when it was last done.
Aug 29, 2026