With summer winding down and the colder months starting to approach, it’s time to start thinking about getting your vehicle ready for the fall and winter months. Now is a good time to inspect your vehicle’s battery and make sure all the cable and terminals are connected tightly and should be retightened (if needed) to ensure a good contact. If the connections are dirty or showing corrosion, they should be disconnected and cleaned with a wire brush or an appropriate cleaning tool. Your vehicle’s headlights can also become cloudy or hazy, which are more than just a cosmetic problem. Cloudy headlights are a serious threat to safety by compromising night vision and reducing the effectiveness of your headlights by up to 80%, as stated by Consumer Reports.
Now is also a good time to inspect your tires. If you notice your tires have less than 1/8-inch of tread left, then it is time to go shopping for new tires. A good technique to determine this is to take a quarter or penny to measure the tread. The distance from the quarter’s rim to George Washington’s hairline is about 1/8 inch (and so is the rim to Abe Lincoln’s head on the penny). Also, an often overlooked but important vehicle maintenance check is your windshield wiper blades. If your wipers are leaving streaks of water on your windshield, then it is time to replace them. Wipers typically have a lifespan of 6 to 12 months, if performance degrades in less time try cleaning the blades with glass cleaner and a paper towel. You don’t want to be stuck in a heavy rain or snowfall with bad wipers!
For all your maintenance needs, trust the professionals at Quality Lube Plus to get the job done right. Stop by our shop or give us a call to make an appointment for your next tune-up or oil change before the fall season kicks into gear.