Make your ride smooth this spring

CAA offers tips, certified garages

As you retire your parka and Sorels to the closet and your thoughts turn toward backyard barbecues, you may be forgetting about one important step in your transition toward summer—making sure your car doesn’t slowly roll to a stop on the way to Grand Beach after fighting through months of icy roads and snowdrifts.

“In the winter, I tell people just to make sure your tires aren’t worn down if you have winter tires, and to check your battery, because you want to make sure that you get through the winter, and the same kind of thing goes for summer,” said Melissa Warden, public relations co-ordinator for CAA Manitoba.

“After your car has battled through the winter, you just want to make sure everything’s in working condition.”

One of the first steps, according to Warden, is to check the tires on your car to make sure that your treads haven’t been worn down, and that the air pressure is at the correct level. If your tires are either over- or under-inflated, you can cause severe damage to your car by hitting a pothole.

“If your tires are over-inflated you can get wheel damage, and if they’re under-inflated then you can bend or break the wheel,” said Warden.

Naturally, you want to avoid driving over potholes but if you can’t, Warden says the best way avoid damage is to release your brakes right before hitting the hole.

You can check your car’s owner’s manual to find out what the correct pressure should be for your tires. The owner’s manual is also where to find the proper fluid levels for your car.

“Check your fluids – check your oil, check your washer fluid, check your coolant levels, just make sure everything’s where it’s supposed to be,” said Warden.

Another important step in preparing your car for the summer is to check your windshield wipers to see if they’ve been damaged by ice during the winter.

“You shouldn’t really use your wiper blades in the winter, because they’re not really meant to clear snow — that’s what scrapers are for,” said Warden. “So you just want to make sure they’re working properly and that they’re meeting the glass of your windshield. If they’re not working properly, you’re going to want to get them replaced.”

Checking your air filter is also a good idea, as it should be checked every six months or 10, 000 kilometers anyway.

Warden said that if you find any problems with your car, or you’re unsure if it’s still in good shape after the winter, CAA recommends a number of garages through Approved Auto Repair Services accreditation. You can find a full list at www.caamanitoba.com.

“You can find the garage that’s closest to you, so if you’re unsure if your car is in good condition for the summer, you can take it there and one of the mechanics will take a look at it for you,” Warden said.