3 Critical Truck Care Tips During Winter
Regular maintenance is crucial for the optimal performance of your truck. The maintenance requirements of a truck are typically easy to follow through with during normal weather conditions such as summer. However, extra care is required when servicing a truck during winter. The reason is that winter brings with it harsh conditions that can affect the normal functioning of your vehicle. Therefore, you have to change your truck maintenance approach during this period. This article highlights essential truck care tips during winter.
Check Tires -- Correct tire pressure and tire treads are crucial elements of safe driving; therefore, it is necessary to check the two regularly. Under normal weather conditions, you can get away with tires that don't have the recommended pressure. Additionally, you can still do several hundred miles under normal weather conditions even if the treads are no more. However, the slippery roads in winter make it dangerous to drive without the recommended tire pressure or with worn-out treads. Therefore, as winter starts, ensure that you inspect the tire pressure thoroughly and maintain the pressure at 3-5psi higher than the recommended tire pressure. It helps to offset the reduction in responsiveness on the tires due to slippage. The tire treads should be at least 6/32 inches deep to provide adequate traction in snow.
Inspect Windshield Wiper Blades -- Wipers keep your windshield clean and clear for an unobstructed view of the road ahead. Frequent use, however, weakens the joint, and this might go unnoticed during normal weather conditions. However, as snow falls on the windshield during winter, the blades have to work extra hard due to the heavy weight of snow and ice. If the blades are weak, then you risk losing your wipers on a snowy highway, and that is the last thing you want to happen. Therefore, test the condition of the wiper blades as you carry out maintenance on your truck. If you suspect some form of weakness on the wiper joints, then tighten the joint or change the blades altogether.
Add Anti-Freeze to Windshield Washers Fluid -- Most truck owners know that the coolant and anti-freeze must be at recommended levels during winter to avoid fuel and engine freeze in sub-zero temperatures. However, few truck owners pay attention to the washer fluid that is meant to keep your windshield clean. Just like the fuel and other fluids under the hood, the washer fluid can freeze and burst pipes thereby leaving you with a snow-filled windshield. Adding an anti-freeze helps to keep the fluid in liquid form, and it also helps prevent snow from freezing on your windscreen as you drive.
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