Preparing Your Car for Spring

Spring is the time for cleaning and tidying up from winter. This is the time to start taking down the old holiday lights, plant those flowers you’ve been dreaming about all winter, and get your car ready for the long family road trips of summer. While you are making cleaning plans, don’t forget to get your car checked, too. We have compiled a short list of Spring cleaning tasks to add to your list.

image - family getting ready for spring summer outing loading up minivan

 

Clean the exterior of your car. Driving in the winter is dirty, particularly in places that see a lot of snow and ice. It is typical for cities to sand roads when the road conditions worsen, some cities add salt to the sand mixture to help prevent freezing. Sand (and salt) builds up on the undercarriage of your car and can eventually lead to rusting or other damage. Spring is the perfect time to clean and wax your car. This will help protect your car all season long.

 

Clean the interior of your car. The inside of your vehicle gets as filthy as the exterior. You are climbing in and out of your car all winter in the snow and ice, getting dirt all over the floorboards and possibly the upholstery as well. Just like cleaning your home, you should start with the top to bottom approach. Begin with the trash and/or personal belongings, vacuum the seats and floors, and then tackle the trunk. This is also the time you can remove your winter specific provisions (shovels, chains, etc.) from the trunk.

 

Rotate or change your tires. Tires should be rotated every 5,000 – 7,000 miles. For front-wheel drive vehicles, the front tires should be moved to the back and the rear tires should be moved to opposite sides of the front. The opposite is true for rear-wheel drive vehicles. All wheel drive tires will also need to be rotated. If you have been driving with snow tires, you should have all-season tires installed.

 

You should also check that your wiper blades are working properly, check all hoses and belts under the hood of the car, and check your battery connections. If you are unsure of the condition of any of these elements in your car, please give us a call today. We offer a FREE Multi-Point Inspection, so schedule your appointment with us today.

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