Is Your Battery Ready For another Cold Winter!

October 30, 2013

With winter fast approaching and predictions of another cold and miserable winter, is your battery ready for the challenge of winter starting. It is a proven fact in most cases, that your battery will lose 33 percent of its power when the temperature dips below freezing, and over 50 percent when it falls below zero.

Keep these facts in mind, you need a battery that will provide you with painless and peace of mind, no one needs to be stranded in no man's land. With colder temperatures, it will take up twice the amount of current need in favourable conditions.

Some Advice on how to Winterizing Your Battery:

-Get Professional opinion on the condition of your battery, the naked eye is not always able to look for for corrosion that is hidden under the metal between the connection and terminal.

-Never allow your battery to give in to old man winter, why you should always have your charging system tested at least every six months.

-Charge your battery so it can maintain a proper charging level, with a fully charged battery there is a good chance your battery will with stand the temperature to at least -40 Celsius.

-You should also check the battery posts, fasteners, making sure there is an above average connection, and secured properly to the battery.

Check List for Peace of Mind Weatherization:

Now is the time to fully check your vehicle to meet and exceed winter driving, now just only your battery. Some helpful tips on what you should check and replace if needed.

-Check and replace windshield wipers every 12 months.

-Check windshield fluid weekly or as need, use a 50/50 combination washer fluid and water.

-Check and make sure defroster and heater are working to there capabilities.

-Check all your bulbs, lights and are working properly.

-Check your tire pressure at least once a week, check inside the drivers door for proper PSI.

-Change you oil at every 5,000 km or 3,000 miles.

-Check your exhaust system for any leaks.

-You should also perform a flush on your cooling system and add new fluid at a 50/50 ratio.

-Check all your belts, clamps and hoses.

You should also invest in an emergency kit, so in case you do break down you have the necessary items to get you back on the road. Such as a battery booster pack, cell phone, blankets, flash-light and some high energy snack bars.  

RJ PICK UP SERVICE
241A Main Street North
Uxbridge, Ontario, L9P 1C3
Phone 905-852-4238
Email: rjpickupservice@hotmail.com
TIRECRAFT!! We're driving towards a cure with every car we serviceshow your support and go pink!!

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Karatbars International 12 Week Financial System http://t.co/6TqxMysFAi
— Joseph Botelho (@jfbmarketing) October 30, 2013

Why You Need snow Tires during winter

February 13, 2013

Understanding how winter tires out perform all season tires you will have to understand what is underneath all that snow and how the pavement changes drastically during the cold months of winter. It becomes a very irregular landscape with sharp points, deep valleys and when your car rolls along these two different surface rubber and the road meet, they must interface for a good grip.

Snow tires with its rubber compounds are a softer rubber that allows the tire to have more flexibility and flexible enough to wiggle and fit into the microscopic grooves in the pavement. This allows the winter tires to perform and achieve the  maximum contact and use all of its surface to push off as it moves forward. The winter tire much more flexible, if it was not, it would never be able  to get into the grooves in the pavement.

Winter tires will last a good 4 years, possibly 5 years, just because you have great looking thread on your tires will not mean that the tires will perform to what they originally where forecast to do.  The reason is the compound find in the rubber over time will get hard, making the tire unsafe for winter driving and more then likely hydro plane in wet, slushy and snowy conditions, the tire will no longer have the flexibility it once had.

It is important that you have your tires checked each winter before having them installed, taking it to an authorize tire dealer is the best choice they understand how winter tires perform and what to look for in tires that may not meet the future winter conditions of the up coming year. A rule of thumb is they should last a good 4 to 5 years before they become unreliable and unsafe for winter driving.

Once a week is a good habit to check all of your tires PSI making sure that they have the correct tire pressure on each wheel. when the temperature drops, your tires will lose some air making them unbalance with the specification of the manufactures specs. Always take the PSI from inside the drivers door, you will see a yellow stick with tire pressure and other information, never use what a tire says as the PSI. 

If you follow the simple steps of checking your tire PSI once a week during winter, as your doing that look at the tire for any visible unbalanced ware and tear on your tires indicating that you may need a front wheel alignment or something is not functioning correctly. You can purchase a good tire pressure monitor for less then $10.00 a very wise investment.

Checking the tire pressure
weekly is a good habit to have 

There is an old saying in the tire world the cheapest snow tires will out perform the most expensive all season tires during the winter months.

Winter Tires different groves
to meet and exceed winter conditions

RJ PICK UP SERVICE
241A Main Street North
Uxbridge, Ontario, L9P 1C3
Phone 905-852-4238
Email: rjpickupservice@hotmail.com
TIRECRAFT!! We're driving towards a cure with every car we serviceshow your support and go pink!!

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Tips for Safe winter driving

February 6, 2013

Winter tips for safe driving and protecting your vehicle for the long haul, some of these recommendation are advise directly from AAA. Just a good reminder for all of us who have to drive in the winter.

-Avoid driving while your fatigued. Getting the proper amount of rest before taking on winter tasks reduces driving risks.
-Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as your garage.
-Make certain your tires are properly inflated.
-Never mix radial tires with other tire types
-Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid gas line freeze up.
-If possible, avoid using your parking brake in cold, rainy and snowy weather.
-Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface (wet, ice, sand.)
-Always look and steer where you want to go.
-use your seat belt every time you get into your vehicle

Use the above items as a check list for safe driving this winter and always perform a walk around once and a week and make sure your tire pressure is accurate. Check the inside of the drivers door for the correct (PSI) for your vehicle never use the tire pressure on your tires that is suggested on your tires.

This is what could happen driving

in a nasty winter storm

RJ PICK UP SERVICE
241A Main Street North
Uxbridge, Ontario, L9P 1C3
Phone 905-852-4238
Email: rjpickupservice@hotmail.com
TIRECRAFT!! We're driving towards a cure with every car we serviceshow your support and go pink!!

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Winter supplies

Now is the time of year, especially with the Christmas holiday approaching, that the local news paper or local news has a segments on what you should carry with you for traveling in inclement weather. Below is my list which is probably more complete and useful.

• Blanket - one per person
• Snacks - some chips, candy, jerky or other snacks like food that won't go bad in case you are stranded
• 1 quart oil - doesn't everyone have one of these in their trunk
• Jumper cables - You will need to know how to used these. Even if you don't need them for your self you can be the hero as it seems no one carries these anymore.
• Warmers - The hand and foot warmers that heat up when they are exposed to air. These work great as I use them when hunting and am out side for weeks on end in the cold weather.
• Hat
• Mittens/gloves
• Tow chain or tow rope - Yes I have one of these, if you get stuck hopefully a 4WD truck or 4WD SUV comes by and can help pull you out. Then I suggest giving the person some cash since they did stop and pull you out of the ditch. This is a lot cheaper than getting a tow truck to pull you out which charge like $75 to hook up your car. I have even helped pull people out of ditches a couple of weeks ago with my Jeep who got stuck.
• A full tank of gas - It doesn't have to be full but keep it above half a tank. I see an awful lot of people who are stuck on the side of the road because they ran out of gas and now are walking to a gas station.
• Some cash - Keep $40 or so in cash in your car in small bills. It is nice since things seem to get bad when you are out in the middle of no where with limited services and they don't take credit card. Often gas stations require a cash deposit to use a gas can as well.
• Flash light with working batteries
• Some basic tools - If you work on your own car you probably have a good idea of what the most used tools for it are. Typically this is a couple of screw drivers, and a handful of wrenches. I know BMW's have a little tool kit in the trunk that has this but I don't know if other vehicles do as well but I wouldn't be surprised if Mercedes do as well.
• Tire chains - If you are getting into some deep unplowed snow this will make your car go like a tank. Being from Minnesota you would think that they would be common here but they aren't. Most people think they are banned in this state but they aren't according to MN Statute 169.72
• Ice scrapper
• Windshield washer fluid (the non freezing type)
• Shovel - Those folding military/camping shovels work great for tossing in your trunk.
• Flash light.
• 40lbs sack of rock salt - Some people use kitty litter but I like rock salt better as it will provide traction like kitty litter but will also melt ice. Just get a 40lbs sack of the rock water softener salt. If you don't need it during the winter then you can go dump it in your water softener. If you have a rear wheel drive vehicle I would suggest two 40lbs sacks, one over each rear wheel. 
• Some fire starters - In case you are stranded for a long time having a fire for warmth might be nice if you are off in the woods.
• First aid kit
• Something to drink - Everyone suggests water, but that just freezes, bottles of pop freeze at a much lower temperature so instead of having a frozen block of ice you might actually have something to drink. Don't have cans of pop as when they freeze they will just burst and then you have a sticky mess so get plastic bottles.

A Women’s Point of View: Turn Up The Heat

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office Manager

I am sure everyone has noticed that it’s cold out there! This is easily explained; it’s January in North America. Most of us are not ‘winter people’, so in our hearts and minds we are basking on a warm beach somewhere in the Caribbean. Take a moment to think about that and go “aahhh”. OK, back to reality.

Just like people, cars need a little extra TLC in cold weather. The phrase ‘cold start’ takes on a whole new meaning. Batteries that are old and weak give out a lot in cold weather. Temperature sensors become overworked and stop functioning as they should. Windshield wipers get frozen to the windshield and when forced to let go, have bits of rubber break off and you get streaks on your windshield. Car doors and door handles get frozen shut. Power windows freeze and won’t work. That is the one that makes me bang my head on the steering wheel.

Anyway, there are some things that could help these situations. A heated garage, an electric blanket for your car, a block heater that you plug into an electrical outlet are just a few suggestions. Robert’s blog covered some helpful preventive measures so I will not go over them again. Life happens to all of us and everyone here at Cars For Keeps is here to help you in the big and small things to keep your veheicle in good working order. We are at your service.

Washing Away the Salt: A Michigan Winter Car Maintenance Essential

by Marjorie, Cars for Keeps Social Media Manager

We've covered just about every aspect of effectively preparing your vehicle into reliable winter-weather transportation. But now that winter is here, what can we do to make sure our vehicles stay reliable and healthy?

For car owners, Michigan winter roads are not only infamous for black ice and snow drifts; they're also infamous for that special anti-ice additive: salt. It's the main reason that car owners living in "the car manufacturing state" have one of the poorest returns on their vehicles in the nation. The natural process of oxidation that happens over time to the steel components of your car are rapidly accelerated by salt, turning our beautiful, locally-manufactured vehicles into virtual rust buckets overnight.

You can read more about exactly why salt + the underside of your car = rust that would make Red Green proud, but understanding why this happens doesn't help us maintain healthy, rust-free cars. There's really only one solution to the problem of winter salt: go to the car wash frequently. Some of your car's most vulnerable metal parts and components are underneath your car, completely exposed to the road's salt spray, so be sure to include undercarriage washes each time you visit the car wash this winter.

Interior salt can erode from the inside as well - in addition to making car interiors dirty. Here's a brief YouTube clip with some tips on getting out those winter salt stains (I'll give you a hint: it involves vinegar, water and elbow grease!).

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by, and safe driving!

3 Ways to Prevent Winter Driving Emergnecies

by Robert, Cars for Keeps Mechanic

Winter time is coming sooner than you may think. That means salty slushy roads, ice on the windshield and brrrrrr…freezing temps. What can you do to ensure a safe and reliable vehicle during these harsh wintry months?

Have your vehicle inspected by a licensed mechanic. Quick lube places do not count. Although they are able to check basic things like your fluids and battery, they are not able to check more important things such as your suspension components and reliability items. Also, those techs are NOT required to be state or ASE certified to work on vehicles. So you may not get an adequately qualified tech working on your vehicle.

Maintain your tires. The tires are the ONLY thing between you and the road. Are your tires worn to the wear bars? Not only is it unsafe for you but could also be unsafe for other drivers on the road. Maintaining air pressure also ensures that your tires are working as they were designed. Speaking of tires, do you have a set of dedicated winter tires? If not you should consider it. The difference between an all-season year round tire and a tire used only for the snowy season is like night and day. For those of you who may not have the extra funds to do this, you may want to consider saving extra cash so in the future this becomes available to you.

Carry emergency items in your trunk. A flashlight (with working batteries please), blanket, fresh water, snacks, a cell phone, road hazard beacons such as flares or the reflective triangles and also make sure your factory equipped spare tire and jack are in place. Kitty litter not only provides extra weight but can also help provide traction if your ever stuck in a snow bank. If you have a small snow shovel that will also help dig your way out of a sticky situation.

Hopefully this season will be safe and accident free, but with a little planning you can make sure that if it does turn sour you are prepared. Like a wise man once told me in boy scouts once: it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Until next time!