5 Winter Car Care Tips To Keep Your Car Safe

Winters in Florida are mild. The days are sunny and warm, but the nights are a bit cool. Apart from the snow event that took place in the late December, 1989, there has been very little snow in Florida. Still, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for a snow event – and your vehicles, by extension!

BMW of Fort Walton Beach, serving Gulf Breeze, FL, brings you these winter car care tips to keep your car safe this winter – snow or no snow.

Gamble on Something Else, Not Your Oil Levels

Ensure your car’s oil levels are between the lowest and highest values. Stats and research say that every one in three vehicles is low on petrol. To avoid this in winters, make sure that you check your car’s oil levels every time it warms up. But beware. Too much oil can be as harmful and damaging as too little oil.

So, do not go overboard with your oil levels.

Keep Your Headlights and Tail Lights Clean

Wintery winds and snow create blankets of ice over our headlights and tail lights. We endanger not only ourselves by not thawing and cleaning the ice but others. In Florida, though, you might notice incessant fog on your glasses. Consider this a lesser version of the monstrous snow people in some of the northern states encounter. Most cars come with headlight washers; if yours did, too, then make use of these washers before heading out. A simple, clean cloth with chemical cleaner should suffice for cars without this function.

Don’t ignore your tail lights. If fogged, people will not be able to tell when you’re hitting the breaks; they might slam into you from the back!

Keep Your Battery Charged

Cold weather is the number one cause of battery failure in winters, with and without snow. You can tackle this in two ways. The first is long-term; change your car batteries every three years. However, taking good care of your engine and battery can extend the years on your battery beyond three years. You can instead tune your battery. This will help prevent battery failure in the long run and give you higher mileage. Want your petrol to last longer? One secret to this, apart from driving safely, is keeping your battery charged up.

Dashboard Warning Signs Should Not Be Ignored

Most people fail to recognize half of the dashboard signs on their dashboard. With winters well under way, it is time to step in and read those signs. Your car owner’s manual will teach you all you need to know about dashboard signs. If your dashboard tells you to check your battery, you should check your battery. If it tells you to check something, you need to do so pronto!

Use Antifreeze!

The water in your engine’s cooling system can freeze in winters. However, even, the coldest nights in Florida lack the capacity to do this. So, keeping antifreeze on you in case there is another snow event is a good idea. Ideally, you should get the coolant changed every two to five years. But this will not necessarily prevent the coolant from freezing, should the temperatures worsen. This is where antifreeze comes in handy.

These winters will go away; hang in there; we are right with you. BMW of Fort Walton Beach, serving Gulf Breeze, FL, offers car maintenance and repair services and showcases our inventory of fantastic vehicles. Schedule a service today!