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Acton Georgetown Wednesday October 20 Prepare Now For Safe Fall Winter Driving Your car needs winterizing as much as your house does if you expect it to provide hasslefree transportation dur ing cotd winter months Some simple precautions and care can make sure your vehicle will carry you to work each blustery winter day Winter driving is tougher on your vehicle than summer traveling In addition to the obvious dangers to its finish from corrosives like salt and sand your cars engine needs pro tection from the cold in the form of the correct viscosity motor oil Use Lower Viscosity Oil Most vehicle manufacturers recommend either a or a 10W30 weight motor oil for cylinder and engines used in cold mates To determine which oil you should use estimate the lowest winter temperature in your area Then check your vehicle owner manual for its lubricant recommendations and choose the viscosity recommended for that tern If you don change your oil toalowervtscosity 30 or 10W40 oil before the weather turns to zero your engine may be damaged Proper maintenance will keep your car running much better It too many years ago that the automobile needed an oil change and lubrication every kilometres 000 miles Owners then were quite religious about following the routine because the scheduled interval occurred so often it was easy to remember Today cars have lube and oil change intervals of 9 kilometres 16 miles and 12 kilometres miles and the improvement has resulted in many owners forgetting proper care Too many vehicles are being neglected compounded because so many are using self service gasoline stations The cars today have unsurpassed factor causing the motorist overlook proper maintenance but no mechanical product can go forever without care something is going to have a but that can be avoided following the recommended main schedule and takmg a few minutes a month to give the car a drive way inspection Start with the engine compartment Open the hood and check the following Oil If you have to add some use the same grade used when the oil was changed Relts Be sure they have enough tension and that they are not frayed or cracked Have them replaced before they cause a problem on the road HosesSqueeze them and if they are too soft it s time to have them replaced Otherwise they might give out when driving with a loss of radiator coolant Air leaner Remove it and make sure the baffles are not clogged Replace if dirty to permit proper air flow to the carburet ur Radiator t Don remove the cap when the engine is hoi The coolant sh be rusty and should be checked fur temperature tolerance during cold weather Battery Water Some bat tierles appear to be sealed but are not so don be mislead Look for small slots in the cover which can bepopped up with a screwdriver for filling Clean off any corrosion at the posts Other FluidsCheck the levels for the automatic transmission power steering brake master cylinder and the windshield washer Then around the car and inspect these items Tires and Wheels Check inflation pres sure including spare Look for exces sive wear cuts stones in the tread and un even wear which could signal the need for an alignment Look on the inside of the wheels to see if brake fluid is leaking Check the shock absorbers for leaks at the same time I ignis Turn on the headlights and have someone switch on he high beam while watch Do the same with the turn signals front and rear and with the tail- lights All of the bulbs including the head lights are easy to replace Wipers Squirt some fluid on the wind shield and run the wipers If they streak miss portions of the window or if they chatter It time to replace the blades Chattering also could indicate that the ten sion on the arms should be adjusted Fluid Leaks The HAC has an In teresting way to read the driveway if there are leaks from the car The location of the spots will help determine the source Noting the colour also will help Black or dark brown will be engine oil or rear axle fluid Automatic transmission fluid usually will have a red tint Greenish water is antifreeze which signals a leak in the cooling system System As you walk behind the car shake tallpipe but not it hotto determine that the clamps are firm