A few vehicle maintenance activities now may save you time, money, and frustration in needed repairs later, West Seattle neighbors! We won’t go through the whole alphabet, but we’ll give you the Fall ABC’s right here.
A is for… All clear?
We can’t tell from here, but you can easily check it out. This tip is especially for those of you parking on the street in the neighborhoods. Leaves, pine needles, and other debris may be blown around and under your vehicle’s hood. You can quickly scan for leaves and needles as you get into the driver’s seat: look at the cowling area, where the hood of your vehicle and your windshield “meet”.
Hey, what’s that puddle under the car? Don’t forget to scan underneath your vehicle as well.
B is for… Batteries
Now’s the time batteries start going bad because the heat damages them in the summertime and now that it’s colder, the battery requires more cold cranking amps to start the vehicle. Also known as: bad battery on a dark, blustery fall day.
We know you’d rather be snuggled up on the couch sipping something hot than dealing with this. We get it.
And… you’re gonna be upset if you put your key in the ignition on a cold morning and it doesn’t turn over.
That’s when “B” is also for “Bad News”, or “Bummer”.
More about Battery Basics and why it’s always battery-season in Seattle.
C is for… Check-In
- Test your heat and defroster function
Find out where you stand on the vehicle heater and defroster systems now, not later. It’s early enough in the season to get a good sense of how these critical winter functions are doing after a long rest over the summer. - Lights? The shorter and darker the days, the more important your lights are. Bulbs may go out, a short may develop… lots can happen but the main thing here is to be aware. Lights on dark days are about road safety, both close to home and far, far away.
- Check the oil. Yes, again. Some more. This is one of the easier maintenance elements that can really do good, solid preventative work, but we see and repair issues due to old and dirty oil on a daily basis. Oil! We can’t say it enough. Highly recommend putting reminders in your phone and calendar to check the quality and level of the oil in your car, truck, SUV, or hybrid.
- What else? Tires. With slippery roads in Seattle, especially if you’re leaving West Seattle, you’ll need to maintain good tire tread to help grip your vehicle to the road. While we don’t replace or “do” tires, we do check on the tread and advise you when you get your vehicles serviced and inspected here. We recommend replacement at around 3/32” and definitely by 2/32”.
Ready for more to check on in your vehicle?
Or, would you rather we did it for you?
(We’d really love to!)
Contact us with your question, or schedule your next service now!