Winter is great; cozy days spent curled up by the fireplace, endless cups of hot cocoa, and tons of fun winter activities to do with the family. However, one negative side effect of colder weather is that our cars often have more problems during the colder seasons, especially if they’re older. It’s always important to take proper care of your car, but even more so during the winter. Most people tend to have the same routine year-round when it comes to taking care of their cars, but the truth is that how you take care of your car will vary depending on the season and the temperature.

Clean your car

Very few people find joy at the idea of standing outside in the freezing cold and cleaning their car. Unfortunately, it’s a job that needs to be done. You can always opt to take your car to a professional cleaning service and have them do it for you. If you’re up to it, though, you can use these tips over at JennyChem.com to help you prepare for cleaning your car during winter.

Winter tires

You likely don’t wear the same clothes year-round – during the winter you wear winter clothes, and during the summer, you wear summer clothes. So, it makes sense that the same goes for your car tires. A lot of people don’t even realize that you get winter and summer tires. Winter tires are usually more durable and it’s safer to drive through mud or snow with them. It can be quite rough for a lot of people to have to change their tires as the seasons change, so luckily there is an alternative – all year tires. These aren’t as effective as using winter or summer tires respectively, but they’re still a valid option, especially if you don’t drive your car that often or if winter isn’t very extreme where you live.

Antifreeze

If you live in an area where the winters get extremely cold, you’re likely aware of the fact that you need antifreeze in your radiator. As the name suggests, this prevents the liquids in your car from freezing during cold months. It does this by lowering the freezing point of your car’s engine and helps keep everything working at the correct temperature. As I’m sure you can imagine, this is vital in ensuring your car is taken care of during winter.

Warming up your car . . . yes or no?

There seems to be a lot of discourse on whether you should let your engine warm up before your drive during winter months. Some people are adamant that letting your car idle for a bit will warm it up and prevent damage to the engine. Others claim that it does more damage than good – both to the car and the environment. Here’s the deal: whether you have a diesel engine or a standard engine, letting your car warm up for too long will cause damage. Instead, warm it up for thirty seconds or so. This should be enough to get your car running smoothly, and it can continue warming up as you drive.