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Cold weather often poses many risks, so always make sure to use your car properly to improve safety when driving in winter.
Below are 8 important issues to note in car care, helping the car operate stably and safely in cold winter conditions.
Pay attention to the tires
When driving in winter, proper tire care and maintenance is important for both safety and performance. Cold weather can cause tire pressure to drop rapidly, leading to under-inflation. Therefore, regularly monitor and maintain recommended tire pressure to improve vehicle control.
Along with checking tire pressure, users should also check the tread depth because this directly affects the tire's ability to grip the road, especially in slippery conditions. In addition, if you often use your vehicle in mountainous areas where ice or even snow occurs, you can consider switching to all-season or winter tires.
Battery care
Cold weather causes car batteries to drain quickly. Therefore, checking and caring for your battery becomes an important part of using your car in the winter.
To minimize the risk of a dead or flat battery that prevents the car from starting, users should turn off unnecessary electronic devices such as lights, heating systems or entertainment systems when the car is parked, regularly start the engine and let the car idle for a few minutes each day.
Engine and oil maintenance
When winter comes, it is important to ensure that your car's engine is running smoothly. Therefore, engine and oil maintenance plays a vital role in keeping your car running smoothly in the cold weather.
Check the engine compartment for signs of wear, leaks, or any unusual noises. Addressing potential problems early can prevent problems that may occur when operating your vehicle in winter conditions.
In addition, switching to low viscosity winter oil such as 0W20 or 0W30 is also something users can do. Because this type of oil has a faster flow rate in cold conditions, making the engine easier to start and always ensuring the necessary lubrication is maintained.
Regularly check the engine compartment
During the winter, the engine compartment is often an ideal hiding place for rats. Not only do they take shelter, they even nest in this area.
Here, they also cause trouble by biting through electrical wires, making the vehicle unable to operate normally. To avoid this, users should take a few minutes to check the vehicle's engine compartment for signs of rats.
Check lighting system
In winter, the weather is often gloomy and darkens faster. Therefore, users should regularly check and evaluate the condition of all exterior lights including: headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, ensuring they are always clean and working well.
This will help the driver always have optimal visibility, especially when driving in foggy conditions which occur most often in winter.
Check the air conditioning system
The air conditioning system is not only important in the summer, but also in the winter, users need to pay attention to checking this part. When it is cold, the temperature inside and outside the car often differs, leading to the phenomenon of windshield steaming.
To solve the problem of car windows steaming up, the heating feature of the air conditioning system will help completely handle the above phenomenon, helping the driver to easily observe the surroundings.
Check wiper blades and washer fluid
Maintaining clear visibility is crucial when driving in the winter, so checking your wiper blades and windshield washer fluid is an essential part of winter car care.
With wiper blades, if they have been used for too long, the rubber parts can become brittle and susceptible to damage in low temperature conditions. Therefore, replacing wiper blades is a small investment but brings significant benefits to visibility.
In addition, when intending to travel to areas with extreme cold temperatures where ice and snow occur, users need to pay attention to the windshield washer fluid to avoid possible freezing in the tank or on the windshield.
Keep distance from the vehicle in front
In winter driving conditions, visibility is often much more limited. To ensure safety, drivers should maintain a longer distance between their vehicle and the vehicle in front. This will give the driver more time to react when braking suddenly or avoiding obstacles on the road.
