STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC Oct. 14, 2020
From sweater weather to freezing temperatures and messy conditions, the transition from fall to winter requires preparation whether you own a car or not.
If you do own a car however, there’s no better time of year than right now to . . .
bust out the winter tires on and make sure your vehicle is in tip top shape for the upcoming months.
“The best thing to do is to beat the rush because everybody gets paranoid right at the beginning of the [winter] season and it becomes a rush,” said Riley MacGregor of Bristol Auto Performance. “So if you’re able to beat the rush, the best thing to do is to bring your vehicle in.”
MacGregor said that even though people might wait to put their winters on, the safest decision is to get it over with now.
“[When] the colder weather reaches about seven degrees Celsius, that’s whenever your all-season or summer tires become ineffective,” he said. “So that’s normally the best time to start thinking about switching into your winter tires.”
MacGregor added that one’s fall care shouldn’t end with just a tire swap.
“At Bristol Auto, we promote a lot of vehicle undercoating, it protects your vehicle against winter’s elements, you know rust prevention and corrosion from all the salt and calcium on the roads,” he said.
He added that someone would typically get asked if they want an undercoating as soon as they bring their car in.
Aside from bringing a vehicle into the mechanic, there are plenty of things to check on at home.
“Check all your breaks, test all your fluids, make sure all of your [antifreeze] and your washer fluid and all that stuff is up to par for the winter elements,” MacGregor said. “To make everybody’s life easier, if you’re storing your tires at home, inspect your tires before so if you do feel if you’re in need of some new winter tires you can call us ahead of time and pre-book your winter tires.”
