Hitting the road to visit family or friends this holiday season? Ensure your car is prepped and ready to go before you turn on the ignition.
Make Sure Your Maintenance Is Up-to-Date
Americans are behind on getting important maintenance work done:
About 20% are behind on oil changes
Nearly 30% are behind on tire rotations
And 1-in-9 are behind on both
Why Oil Changes and Tire Rotations Matter
Why does it matter? While it may save consumers money to skip now, it could cost them a lot later:
Without enough – or clean – oil, an engine can fail. Repairing that could cost thousands of dollars.
When car owners skip tire rotations, tires can wear unevenly. Uneven wear can lead to flats, blowouts, and reduced traction.
Families could get stuck by the side of the road as they travel to Grandma’s for the holidays. That’s not safe – or fun – for anyone.
Track your car’s maintenance for free with the Carfax Car Care app. It’ll remind you when service is due and alert you when a new recall has been issued for your car.
Other Important Maintenance
Other things to check on before you travel:
Check Your Wiper Blades: If the rubber has cracked, your car’s wipers may leave streaks. This will hurt visibility, creating a safety hazard. Wipe them down with Windex. If that doesn’t work, install new blades. It’s a good idea to change wiper blades after six months of use.
Consider Winter Tires: Cold weather can cause the rubber in standard tires to harden, impacting traction. Winter tires have special rubber compounds and tread patterns crafted to provide optimum grip on slick roads.
Check Your Battery: Cold weather reduces battery power and could cause your battery to fail. If your mechanic finds that your battery is weak, have a new one installed to make sure you’re not left stranded.
Examine Your Cooling System. Seriously: It may seem counter-intuitive given that it’s cold outside, but rubber components in the radiator and heater can crack and leak over time. Check the cooling system and replace hoses that show signs of damage or wear.
Check Your Wiper Fluid Level: Make sure there’s enough wiper fluid in your car’s reservoir. Also, choose a wiper fluid with antifreeze in it. This will work better during cold weather. This is important since slush from the road can be kicked up onto your windshield and dry there, limiting visibility. It’s also smart to carry an extra gallon around in your car.
Pack a Winter Survival Kit: If your car breaks down, ensure you have what you’ll need to survive. The kit should include water, a blanket, an ice scraper, food, road flares, a fully powered phone charger, a flashlight, and a first aid kit.
Safely Pack Your Car
It’s important to know how to safely pack your car for an extended trip:
Make sure everything is packed securely: Don’t let casseroles or pies sit unsecured anywhere in the car. In the event of a collision, those objects can become missiles – and inflict a lot of damage.
Don’t overcrowd your car: Make sure every person has their own seat belt. And ensure that any pets along for the ride are likewise secured.
One thing many travelers forget: Make sure you’re not carrying more weight than the automaker recommends. Excessive weight can hurt your car’s stability and put too much pressure on your tires. Check your owner’s manual for the exact limits.
It Doesn’t Have to be Winter to be Dangerous
For most of the country, FALL is the season when most accidents happen. Why?
Diminishing Daylight: Drivers are twice as likely to have an accident in the dark as they are in the daylight, research shows.
Deer Mating Season: More car-deer accidents happen in the three months of fall than in all other months combined.
Wet leaves on the ground: They’re as slippery as ice. On a dry road, a typical car traveling at highway speed takes about 80 feet to stop. On wet leaves, it can take 200 feet.
Next Steps
Track your car's maintenance with Carfax Car Care
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