Winter Car Care and Auto Maintenance Tips

I’d like to start this multi-entry post with basic car maintenance tips and reminders that are generally winter-specific. So without further ado…onto the first tip!

Tip #1: Don’t Forget to Use Snow Tires. If you really need to drive during the snowy weather—meaning your boss won’t let you work from home or you need to travel to your relatives’ place out of town—play it safe by investing in great snow tires. Snow tires help increase traction, making your travels a lot faster and safer. And yes, while having to remount and balance your snow tires every single year can be such a pain in the neck, if you’ve ever driven sans snow tires through icy roads (which I seriously don’t recommend!), you’ll know that these specialized tires can mean the difference between a safe trip and a fatal accident. Be safe and use snow tires.

But if you’re really feeling incredibly lazy, or if you really hate having to remount and rebalance these tires each winter, then one way you can save time (but not money) is by getting your vehicle four steel rims. Take your snow tires and permanently mount them onto the steel rims. This should make it easier for you to install your snow tires, and later remove them when spring comes.

Now I understand that with the recent economic troubles we’re facing, it may be harder for most of us to purchase complete sets of winter tires. While it’s still best to have all four mounted on your car, if you can’t buy four snow tires and you have a two-wheel drive (front wheel drive or rear wheel drive), then two would usually do. Mount your snow tires on the wheels that are directly driven by your vehicle’s engine. If you have an “all-wheel-drive” on your hands, then I’m sorry to say that you need to have FOUR snow tires on your car.

If you don’t have space in your garage for your regular tires, then ask your local garage if they could store your regular tires throughout the winter season. Most tire shops will also charge a small fee for storage. Once winter is done, you can also ask them to store your snow tires until the next Thanksgiving.

Tip #2: Conduct Complete and Thorough Auto Cleaning, And Try to Keep Your Vehicle as Clean As You Can After. The first day you spot snow on the roads or on your roof, make it a point to take the time to clean your car completely (both inside and out!). It’s not just for aesthetic purposes, it’s also to help you keep your driving visibility at its best during the ultra-cold season. Since mirrors have a tendency to fog, keep all your glass surfaces as transparent and clear as possible by scraping away the buildup of snow or ice using an ice scraper or a snowbrush. Your auto lights should also be kept as snow-free as possible. So take the time to remove all traces of ice on your ride at least once a week.

Now that your auto lights and mirrors are snow-free, your work is done, right? Nope! There’s more work to be done, and for good reason. Remove snow from the rest of your ride. You’re probably wondering why you need to clean your ride when all that’s important are your lights and mirrors… well, let’s just say that if you happen to have snow piling up on your roof, sludge could easily make its way down your windshield after you hit the brakes—obscuring your vision and possibly even causing you to collide with an oncoming car. Some states also require vehicles to be ice-free during winter… so you can avoid a ticket by keeping your car as clean as you can all season long.

**Note: The second picture shows a snow tire.

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The Right Maintenance Steps (Part I)

Winter’s here! And for most of us, it’s sure to be a white Christmas. This may not be the happiest Christmas for everyone, what with all the problems most of us are facing, but the best way to somewhat enjoy the holidays is to make the best out of what we still have—for some good health, for others a great family, others still excellent friends, and I’m hoping that you, like me, are still thankful that you have a car to drive to town with.

For me, the best thing about winter is snow. I usually stay over at my sister’s place with the rest of my family to celebrate the holidays with them. Snow is almost-always present especially during the latter parts of December. So I have to remember to take extra-care of my vehicle and to drive really slowly, or to not drive at all when the streets are icy.

One of the most amusing driving reminders I’ve ever gotten from a close friend is that: “If the roads are wet, drive like it’s snowing. If the streets have snow, then drive like they’re icy. And if the roads are icy, then don’t drive at all.” The cool thing about this tip is that it’s actually a great way to avoid accidents! And while this tip doesn’t just apply to the winter season, it’s more recommended during the colder parts of the year.

We all know that during winter, starting your car is generally harder than usual. Especially if you park it overnight outside your garage where snow can make a car-cicle out of your ride. During winter, inspecting and repairing your vehicle also becomes ten times harder than normal, especially if you don’t have enough room in your garage. When your garage is too small, you’ll have to conduct your auto-check outside your house—and the next thing you’ll know, you’re knee-deep in freezing snow with little or absolutely no access to your chassis components. Car care also becomes a problem, because no amount of outdoor heating methods could prevent the water you use to clean your vehicle from turning into ice upon contact. One way you can keep your ride well-prepared for the winter season is by conducting all the auto checks and maintenance processes before snow falls.

To complete your winter auto checklist, I’ve compiled some of the best tips I’ve gotten in all my years of driving and repairing automobiles. Let’s start this multi-post topic with regular and winter-specific auto maintenance steps.

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Starting Problems of Jeep Cherokee

1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport

Why would your Jeep Cherokee not start when it is not that old yet?

Jeep Cherokee is in fact one of the most dependable compact sport utility vehicles in the market today. For this reason, you would really find it very difficult to accept that your 1997 Cherokee model will have starting problems at such an early stage. Is there something wrong with one of your Truck Parts?

Picture this scenario. Four months after you bought your Jeep Cherokee, you experienced problem in starting the vehicle. While working on the jeep brakes and leaving the lights on for a time, the battery of your jeep died.

Usually, when such is the case, vehicle owners are prompted to take the battery and have it tested right away. Even if the battery is only a year old, there is a big possibility for this problem to occur.

What are the Signs?

Of course, your jeep battery did not just die without a problem. Even before a total breakdown, your jeep will show signs that there is indeed something wrong with it. Here are the things you must check on:

Do you have a hard time starting your Jeep Cherokee? Is it slow to start? Does it take more than five seconds to start?
Does your jeep lights dim whenever you try to start the jeep?
Does your jeep make a strange sound whenever you try to start it? Is there a snapping sound?
Are the fixed radio stations removed whenever you try to start the jeep?
HAVE YOU CHECKED THESE ESSENTIAL AUTO PARTS?

What to Do?

If your answers to all the questions above are mostly YES, then you need to do something to prevent possible full collapse of your Jeep Cherokee’s battery. The best thing that you can do is have your jeep undergo a starter test because it is really possible that the amount of current obtained by the starter of your jeep is actually greater than the amount that the battery can provide. So you have to check whether or not your starter is getting just the right amount of current. The ideal starter current draw is in fact 125 to 200 amps.

In addition, check on the size of your Jeep Cherokee’s battery. Yes, even the size of the battery matters. It should be, at any rate, 550 CCA.

It is also important to make certain that the battery stations are always fixed and uncontaminated.

You also need to check the charging system of your Jeep Cherokee. The ideal current released must be approximately 75 amps at 1250 rpm or 90 amps at 1250 rpm.

Even if your battery looks fine on the outside, it does not mean that nothing is wrong with it. There might be a break inside the system. There are times when the link between the batt post and the batt plates rupture. This breakage causes an irregular problem when it comes to starting your Jeep Cherokee. So, examine most especially the internal part of your battery.

Your Jeep Cherokee does not have any supernatural power, so don’t expect it to work perfectly throughout its existence. Even if it’s made of tough jeep components, it will develop certain defects in the long run. So, the only ways to keep it running efficiently are good jeep maintenance, early detection of problems, and immediate repair.

Go here for Jeep Discount Auto Parts and see what you can add to your Jeep.

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Ignition Key Refuses to Turn

lthough this problem is pretty rare, if you do encounter this situation, then it’s best that you know how to address this auto issue as soon as possible. If your ignition key refuses to turn, don’t panic just yet and stop yourself from calling a tow truck right away. It’s highly probable that the problem is pretty minor.

First, are you sure you’re using the right key? If you own more than one automobile, then chances are you have a single key chain that houses all your car keys. A few years ago, my cousin called me up to tell me that her ignition won’t turn. I hurried over to her house only to find out, to my embarrassment and hers, that she was using her Chevy’s key for her Camry. While this mistake is pretty rare, it’s very much understandable, especially when you’re running late for something important.

If you have the right key but it won’t insert completely then inspect your key for signs of breakage. If you try turning your key when it’s not seated firmly, then it’s not going to turn. If you can’t insert the key fully, then chances are there is something inside your ignition switch that is obstructing your key’s movement. If you broke your key elsewhere then a missing tooth should stop it from turning as well. Locate a spare key and try using that instead.

Check if you have the right gear setting. As I mentioned in my previous post, most vehicles require your auto to be in Neutral or Park for it to start.

If your steering wheel is locked, then try to move the key into the On position and move your steering wheel to unlock it before starting your vehicle. Some ignitions and steering wheel columns lock in a precise manner that requires you to first “unlock” the wheel before you can start your car. If you can’t figure out how to unlock your steering wheel, consult your owner’s manual first.


If none of these steps work, then your auto problem may have something to do with how your auto is parked. Some ignitions lock up when your tires are turned a certain way or when they’re jammed against the curb. If you think this might be your problem, then follow these steps:

Step #1: Shift into the right gear. Park for automatic transmissions and Neutral for manual.

Step #2: Set the parking/hand brake. This would prevent your car from suddenly moving while you try to unlock your ignition.

Step #3: Once you’ve secured everything, give your steering wheel a hard yank. Not too hard though, because you might just end up damaging your auto’s steering mechanism. Give it a firm yank in the opposite direction of where your wheels are turned. This should also free up a locked steering wheel.

Step #4: Release or disengage your hand brake and try turning your steering wheel. If your steering wheel turns easily, then you’ve got the green light to try starting your car again.

Step #5: Try turning your ignition key.

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