Get Your Car Ready For Summer
Spring is making it’s final rounds and now is the best time (over any) to get your car ready for Summer. This week’s blog post is filled with the different ways to get your car ready (or those Summer cars ready) for the seasons arrival.
Summer is one of the seasons where the most extreme end of the temperature scale is expected some days and for this reason, it is important to make sure that all the components of the car that can help with this, are functioning properly.
Switch from snow tires to all-season or summer tires (also known as performance tires)
It is important to remember that although all-season tires are an option, summer tires and winter tires are not recommended to be used outside of the respective seasons. Winter tires are designed to keep traction on winter-torn roads, meaning if there is snow on the road, the tires will stick to the road itself. Similar to the way winter tires work, summer tires have a specific purpose too. They are designed to provide excellent traction whether the roads are dry or wet and help with precise handling. It is important to note, obviously if you live in a country that doesn’t experience winter, summer tires can be used in place of all seasons.
Winter tires are made with a softer rubber so they have the ability to expand and shrink when needed – in the cold weather. Once the warmer weather hits, they tend to wear out faster. Once the temperature starts to hover over the 7-degree mark steadily, it’s time to go back to your all-season or summer tires.
Change your Wiper Blades
Like summer and winter tires, there is such a thing as winter and summer wiper blades, interestingly enough. Winter wiper blades are made using a rubber that is designed to be able to get through ice and snow on the windshield. These types of precipitation (under normal circumstances) do not happen in the summer months, only rain, and so the rubber designed for this type of wiper blade is obviously different. Even if your wiper blades are not season-specific, checking them around this transition is important and making sure to replace them as needed as well. Having a wiper blade is pretty critical to the vehicle’s overall function and if you feel that it’s not getting the job done right, I have a blog post that can assist with this investigation. Why spend money when you don’t need to?
Test your AC
Having a functioning Air Conditioning system in the Summer is critical. Yes, nothing beats the warm wind feeling from the windows and sunroof down and open, but sometimes the heat can be just too much to handle. Checking and ensuring the AC is working is important, maybe for this season more than the others.
Driving around without a functioning AC can actually be dangerous, believe it or not. It increases the chances of your system catching on fire, because of overheating as excessive heat is building in your AC. Temperatures then rise to a dangerous level and can even cause the electrical wiring in the system to deteriorate over time.
Check your Brakes!
The brakes can take a brutal beating, especially in the wintertime when you have to make sudden stops. The harder you press on the brake pedal, the faster its brake pads wear out. Getting these inspected during the switch over from winter to summer/all-season tires is the ideal time. If you are unsure what to look for, make sure to schedule an appointment with a mechanic to ensure they are still in working condition.
Keep your coolant cool
Check your coolant levels and make sure the mixture of chemicals is correct. You can either do this yourself with a coolant tester which can be bought from your local auto parts stores or go to a professional.
Get an oil change
If it’s time for an oil change again, it may be wise to do it when you change out your tires, as combining shop work saves you the back and forth trip. Thanks to the advancements made in car oil, two different kinds of oil are no longer needed depending on the season. However, choosing different motor oil types for different seasons is still a common practice.
Conventional motor oil used to only have one viscosity, or thickness, called “single grade” motor oil. In the wintertime, drivers would use a motor oil that was thinner, making it easier to flow in cold temperatures and in the summer they would use one that was thicker, as the heat helped to thin it out. Now with the multi-viscosity oil, that contains special additives that help it to adapt to the outside temperatures, your engine is always left in good standing.
Top up your windshield washer fluid with a summer formula
Washer fluid is another essential that varies with the seasons as well. In the wintertime, ones that help with deicing and are formulated not to freeze are obviously recommended. In the summertime, you can choose to mix the summer and winter washer fluids, but this is only recommended when the temperatures are above 0 Celcius or 32 Fahrenheit. In the summer consider using a washer fluid that contains a streak-free formula that targets bugs, tar, and other grime.
Pre-Summer Tune-Ups
The number of things and stuff you should do to ensure that your car is summer-ready is actually quite long in retrospect. But a lot of these tasks can actually be done with only one visit to the mechanic shop, dealership, or someone who knows a lot about cars. They might even be offered in packages, so be on the lookout for those to save some money while getting all those things checked off the list. Also, be sure to check the following along with everything else mentioned in this post:
- Inspections of your engine and exhaust systems
- Tests for electronic components like sensors
- Fluid checks (brake fluid, power steering fluid, coolants, etc)
Make it Squeaky Clean!
Although giving your car that nice detailing it really desperately needs would be better to do in the nice temperatures of the summer season, doing this before might actually be better. Salt and grime can build up under your car and although passing it through a car wash in the winter helps to get rid of it, for the time being, it does come back. Once the roads are clear of snow (and no accumulating snowfalls are expected in the forecast) take your car for a full detail job inside and out. Don’t forget the undercarriage, wheel wells, windows, and interior mats among other things.
Swapping time!
Some people have mats in their car specific to the season, so now would be the ideal time to remember to swap them out. Although it is not necessary it may actually be a wise move. I mean think about it, having the reminders of winter piling up on the winter mats in the car would be easier to get rid of when it comes to summer. And this way, through the rotation of the mats the same ones are not always left in there to bare whatever stains may occur.
Having two sets of mats helps to eliminate the stress of cleaning them so often (unless they really need it of course). Be sure to only use mats that are made specifically for your vehicle and ensure that when you are placing them back in the car, they are properly secured to avoid driving mishaps.
Final Thoughts
Do you have a summer car that you want to share with the world? Post a picture and tag us! We would love to know about any other ways that you get your car summer-ready, and of course, as always would love to just interact with you all in general! Follow us over on our socials!
You May Also Like
