One of life’s great experiences is driving a winding country road in the perfect car, soaking in the fresh spring air. With the time of year to take these blissful drives upon us, it’s more crucial than ever to ensure your vehicle is up for the task. Here are our favorite tips for preparing your car for spring.
Check the Tires
The only part of your car to ever touch the road should be the tires, assuming you aren’t involved in an auto accident. In fact, ensuring your tires are spring-ready is essential to keeping the rest of your vehicle off the ground. Each spring, your tires need to be adequately inflated, inspected, rotated, and aligned to ensure you and your passengers remain safe.
Inspect Fluids
Essential for keeping your vehicle off the side of the road instead of on it are the fluids that ensure your engine remains operable. Spring is a great time to have the oil changed in your car, and it provides an opportune time to check the coolant, brake, and steering fluids to ensure they are at the proper levels. And with all the spring showers, this season is also a great time to top off your windshield washer fluid and replace the wipers to ensure proper visibility all season long.
Detail and Wash
While winter can be beautiful to look at, it can wreak havoc on the exterior and interior of a car. Few things sparkle like a freshly washed car in the driveway, but a trip through a professional operation will work just as well. A winter’s worth of dirt and grime inside the vehicle is also worth removing, so consider everything included when getting your car detailed.
Test the Battery
Nothing’s worse than being stranded, so make sure your spring tune-up includes a battery test before hitting the open road. Many auto parts shops offer the service for free, so simply inquire when picking up supplies. This test will give an overall assessment of the battery’s health and provides you with a rough idea of how much longer it will continue to operate.
Under the Hood
The rest of our tips for preparing your car for spring involve spending some time under the hood or vehicle. First, spray away as much of the residue as possible from under your car by having it pressure washed at a gas station or jacking the car up yourself. Similarly, wipe away the dirt and grime from the engine block using a car washing mitt and warm, soapy water. Other areas under the hood to inspect include the air and oil filters, belts, and hoses, taking care to look for signs of wear or damage.
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