4 Ways to Winterize Your Car

FLUSHING, Mich. - Now that Fall is coming to a close, people across the state will be preparing themselves for the inevitable Michigan winter. While you're getting yourself, your house, and everything else ready for the cold, it's important that you don't forget to prepare your vehicle! To help you get ready for winter, we've come up with 4 ways to winterize your car:

1. Check your tires / consider getting winter tires. With winter comes icy and slippery conditions. If your tires aren't in good condition, you run the risk of losing control of your vehicle. We recommend checking the tread on your tire using a penny. Simply take the penny, turn it so that Lincoln's head is pointing downwards, and put it in between the tread on your tire. If the tread is at the top of Lincoln's head or below, you'll need to get new tires. If you don't feel comfortable using everyday tires, we also carry a great selection of winter tires that we would be more than happy to install on your vehicle.

2. Check your windshield wipers. While tires are important for staying in control of your vehicle, no tire will keep you safe if you can't see where you're going. If your wipers are leaving streaks on your window after you using them, or they appear to be cracked or peeling, you'll want to get them replaced. Windshield wipers are the one thing that will keep your windshield clear when it starts to rain/snow/etc. and allow you to clearly see what is happening on the road.

3. Prepare an emergency kit. You never know when a bad blizzard might leave you stranded on the side of the road. While we hope that this never happens to you, it's important to be prepared if it does. We recommend putting the following in your emergency kit:

• Non-perishable food and water – Granola bars, water bottles, and hard candy have a long shelf life, making it perfect for your kit
• A blanket and an extra pair of warm clothes
• A flashlight
• An ice scraper and a small shovel
• An extra pair of warm boots and gloves
• Jumper Cables
• First aid and tool kits
• Flares
• Sand, salt or kitty litter to provide traction should you become stuck

4. Check your battery. Cold weather can be harsh on your vehicle's battery, especially because your engine requires more current from the battery to start in the winter. We recommend having one of our specialists check your battery to make sure that it is in good condition so that you aren't inconvenienced on a cold morning when your vehicle won't start.

While we hope that these 4 ways to winterize your car will help you prepare you vehicle for the cold, we are also available to help. If you need someone to look over your vehicle and assure you that it is prepared for less than perfect weather conditions, our ASE certified service technicians are on hand to help! We're located at 1510 E. Pierson Road, Flushing, MI 48433. Feel free to give us a call at (810) 659-5688 with any questions you may have. Family-owned and operated, Delehanty Ford has been serving the Greater Genesee County area for over 65 years with customer satisfaction as our top priority. Our sales and service departments are dedicated to providing the best experience for every customer.

Visit our website: www.delehantyford.com
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