Three End Of Winter Vehicle Maintenance Tasks

The winter season can be hard on the internal components of your vehicle, as the low temperature and the poor driving conditions can drastically increase the amount of stress that your vehicle experiences. By the end of the winter season, your vehicle may be in dire need of maintenance to get it back to prime working condition again. Understanding what some of the most important end of season maintenance tasks are can help you complete them early and ensure that your vehicle is ready to handle the good summer weather.

Battery Charging

The cold temperatures that winter months bring can have a marked effect on your car battery. Coupled with the fact that you will likely use electrical components like your headlights and heating system more often in the winter, your battery can quickly become drained and its capacity reduced. It can also suffer from physical damage if the freezing temperatures have actually caused the battery itself to shrink. Having your battery inspected and charged again can ensure that you have no operation problems once the warm weather rolls around: however, in the event that your battery has cracked in the cold or has otherwise become physically damaged, you will likely need to replace it entirely.

Heater Repair

As already mentioned, the colder temperatures of winter will likely place a great deal of strain on your vehicle's heating system. This is why you should have it immediately inspected as the temperature rises, ensuring that you catch any sort of damage or maintenance issues early. In particular, you will want to have your vents cleaned out and air filter replaced, as condensation can build up with normal operation and can contribute to mold and mildew growth – which is much more likely in warmer temperatures. Cleaning your vents and air filter out early can help prevent cleaning mold and mildew growth out later on in the summer.

Fluid Top-Offs

Finally, the last piece of general maintenance that you should do at the close of the winter season is a general inspection of all of your vehicle's fluid levels. Topping off oil, transmission fluid, and brake fluid levels is a normal part of maintenance, but you'll want to pay particular attention to your engine coolant and windshield wiper fluid levels, as both of these fluids are generally used more in the summer months than they are in the winter, and a leak could have easily sprung unnoticed during the winter months.

To learn more, contact a service like Car And Truck Services Inc.