Summer is over and fall is in full swing, that can only mean one thing: winter is rapidly approaching. To get prepared for winter you should take a couple steps to make your harsh weather driving safer. Here are two quick and easy projects that you can do in two hours or less to get you car ready.
1. Restore your headlights: On the market today there are several options for headlight restoration kits. Your local parts warehouse store should have a section in the car cleaning aisle dedicated to these products. That a look at a few of them and select the one that best fits your budget and requirements based on headlight haze. Depending on which one you choose you may have between 15 minutes and two hours of work ahead of you. The simple liquid solutions will often only remove the lightest of imperfections from your headlight lenses, but it is a good first step. If it works, great. If not, they are relatively inexpensive and you'll just have to move on to one of the more complete kits. These kits include several different pieces of sandpaper, from coarse to fine. You start with the most coarse and work your way up to the finest one. Once you are complete you should have headlight lenses that look to be new.
2. Rotate your tires: This may be one of the best DIY things you can do for your car. Most tire or repair shops want upwards of $30 to rotate the tires for you. That is just silly since it is something that you can easily do yourself. You will need some basic tools which probably came with your car: a jack and a lug nut wrench plus a jack stand. Understand that the jack and lug nut wrench included with your car is more meant for emergencies so you may want to pick up a floor jack that is rated for the weight of your car and a better lug nut wrench. It will save you a lot of grief and time if you do. An aside about the jack and lug nut wrench in your car, this would also be a good time to test them out and make sure that they are properly lubricated. When you are stranded on the side of the road is not the time to make that discovery, I know because I have actually been there before....not fun. Once you have all of your tools ready, start by loosening the lug nuts on all of the wheels; just loosen, not remove. Next following the instructions in your owners manual, jack up one corner of the car on the designated jack spots. Place the jack stand in a secure location and remove that wheel. Leave the jack stand in place, lower the jack and jack up the next corner. Your owner's manual should have a diagram showing you where to place the removed wheel. There is an exception to this rule, if you have directional tires or rim pattern. In these cases just swap back to front on the same side, otherwise follow the owner's manual. Secure the wheel in its new location with the lug nuts and lower those two corners. Proceed with the next two wheels. Your owner's manual may suggest a pattern where you move the drivers rear wheel to the passenger front and the passenger front to the passenger rear. In this case you will need two jack stands. Once all of the wheels are back on and the car is on the ground you can tighten all of the lug nuts. You will need a torque wrench for this. Follow the owner's manual for a guide as to the torque setting. I always go over the lug nuts twice to be sure that nothing is left loose. You will also want to check them again after 100 miles or two days, whichever comes first.
These two pre-winter projects will get your car ready for the harsh winter ahead and make it safer to drive as well.
1. Restore your headlights: On the market today there are several options for headlight restoration kits. Your local parts warehouse store should have a section in the car cleaning aisle dedicated to these products. That a look at a few of them and select the one that best fits your budget and requirements based on headlight haze. Depending on which one you choose you may have between 15 minutes and two hours of work ahead of you. The simple liquid solutions will often only remove the lightest of imperfections from your headlight lenses, but it is a good first step. If it works, great. If not, they are relatively inexpensive and you'll just have to move on to one of the more complete kits. These kits include several different pieces of sandpaper, from coarse to fine. You start with the most coarse and work your way up to the finest one. Once you are complete you should have headlight lenses that look to be new.
2. Rotate your tires: This may be one of the best DIY things you can do for your car. Most tire or repair shops want upwards of $30 to rotate the tires for you. That is just silly since it is something that you can easily do yourself. You will need some basic tools which probably came with your car: a jack and a lug nut wrench plus a jack stand. Understand that the jack and lug nut wrench included with your car is more meant for emergencies so you may want to pick up a floor jack that is rated for the weight of your car and a better lug nut wrench. It will save you a lot of grief and time if you do. An aside about the jack and lug nut wrench in your car, this would also be a good time to test them out and make sure that they are properly lubricated. When you are stranded on the side of the road is not the time to make that discovery, I know because I have actually been there before....not fun. Once you have all of your tools ready, start by loosening the lug nuts on all of the wheels; just loosen, not remove. Next following the instructions in your owners manual, jack up one corner of the car on the designated jack spots. Place the jack stand in a secure location and remove that wheel. Leave the jack stand in place, lower the jack and jack up the next corner. Your owner's manual should have a diagram showing you where to place the removed wheel. There is an exception to this rule, if you have directional tires or rim pattern. In these cases just swap back to front on the same side, otherwise follow the owner's manual. Secure the wheel in its new location with the lug nuts and lower those two corners. Proceed with the next two wheels. Your owner's manual may suggest a pattern where you move the drivers rear wheel to the passenger front and the passenger front to the passenger rear. In this case you will need two jack stands. Once all of the wheels are back on and the car is on the ground you can tighten all of the lug nuts. You will need a torque wrench for this. Follow the owner's manual for a guide as to the torque setting. I always go over the lug nuts twice to be sure that nothing is left loose. You will also want to check them again after 100 miles or two days, whichever comes first.
These two pre-winter projects will get your car ready for the harsh winter ahead and make it safer to drive as well.
