Spring is a great time of the year for a relaxing drive. While many of us cannot wait to hit the road after a long winter, it is always a good idea to check on maintenance we may have avoided during the colder months. Here, CARS Protection Plus discusses a few car care tips that drivers should follow to stay safe on the road all spring.
Give Your Car A Thorough Clean- Inside and Out
With the cold weather moving behind us, car owners should be sure to give their cars a thorough wash and wax. This is because debris, grime from roads, and salt build-up can be damaging to your car’s exterior paint. Giving the outside of your car a thorough cleaning, paying attention to often missed spots such as the engine bay and beneath the car, are excellent ways to get rid of dirt accumulation. For car owners whose vehicles have gotten a bit dirty on the inside during the winter, spring can be a great time to clean up the cabin as well. Taking a day to throw out trash and give the inside of your car a detailing can be incredibly freeing.
Test Your A/C
Ahead of the hot weather that late spring and summer can bring, it is always helpful to ensure that your car’s air conditioning is operating as it should. To do so, CARS Protection Plus recommends testing by running the fan on all speeds. Does the air coming out of the A/C feel as cold as it did in the summer? Is the fan blowing strong on higher speeds? If it turns out that anything is wrong with the unit, checking in the early spring gives you time to rectify it before it becomes miserable.
Check Tire Pressure
Many car owners are aware that cold weather can reduce tire pressure on our vehicles. Still, tire pressure is a facet of car care that tends to be neglected until there is a glaring issue. Tire pressure can decrease about 1 psi for every 10 degree drop in air temperature. For this reason, once spring comes around, it is always a good idea to make sure that all tires (including spares) are properly inflated. To be fully certain that the tire pressure is correct, check the recommended pressure level from your owner’s manual, by checking the inside of your car door, or researching your make and model online. Also, don’t ignore the tire-pressure monitoring system light if it comes on- even if you have just filled your tires. You never know if you may have a small hole somewhere that you did not initially detect.
Don’t Forget Fluid Checks
Maintenance is easy for many people to skip in the winter but neglecting fluids can cause devastating damage to your vehicle. When time allows, perform maintenance on your car by making sure that your break fluid, coolant, oil, and transmission fluid are all to the specifications of your make and model. While under the hood, it could be a good time to top off the washer fluid for your car as well if it is low.