Make winter travel by car more reliable, safer

It seems almost painful to mention it, but it won’t be very long until Old Man Winter is breathing down our necks once again. The ice, the snow, the sleet, the freezing rain, the bone-chilling cold – children love it all. We older folk dread it more and more each year.

One of the most important tasks the consumer can perform each fall to stay safer and to enjoy the season more is to winterize the trusted automobile out in the driveway. Little is more frustrating than a car that won’t start, that slips and slides all over the road, or otherwise fails on the road miles from assistance. Here are a few steps to winterize your vehicle and a few additional safety steps to protect yourself and your family during the white season ahead:

. Keep the gas tank half full or more to reduce water condensation in your tank. Water moisture condenses inside the tank above the gasoline line during cold weather. This will later settle to the bottom of the tank, as water is heavier than gasoline. Water then gets into the gas line or the gas pump and then freezes, preventing gasoline from getting to the engine.

Also consider adding a can of dry gas periodically during cold weather as cheap insurance to reduce problems with water in the fuel. This author uses one can at every other fill-up at the amounts recommended on the can. This is very cheap insurance to help you get started and to arrive at your destination.

. Keep your tires inflated properly. Traction and mileage should improve. Also make sure your spare is properly inflated and available. Cars, vans and trucks that are designed to suspend your spare under the back of the vehicle are very susceptible to freezing or rusting solid, which can be particularly maddening if you need to change a tire. Have your mechanic check or take the tire off and put it inside your vehicle somewhere until spring. There it will be warm, dry and accessible.

. Have all fluids checked. This includes having an oil change with the right weight for cold weather. Read your owner’s manual or ask your mechanic. Antifreeze should be checked and perhaps changed so that your coolant will stay a liquid and not a solid down to 30 below zero or colder.

. Carry a few helpful items, such as a working cell phone, a fire-starting source, a heavy blanket, and a bag of sand or cat litter to put under the tires. A snow shovel and tire chains can be helpful, as well as a working flashlight. This author prefers the sealed flashlights that the children cannot open and steal batteries from when their favorite electric gadgets need juice. Flares can also mark your position and keep you from getting run over if you must stop beside the road at night or in a storm.

. A window punch is good to have on hand for the remote chance that you slide off the road and into the cold water. This water will fry your electric windows and water pressure will prevent your egress from the vehicle (please review our BDN article on this window punch subject back in January 2007). Food and water are also helpful, as well as other items. Yes, it is a lot to have on board. Remember it is always much better to have and not need than to need and not have.

. Windshield wiper blades need to be checked and replaced if necessary. It is dangerous to drive when you cannot see. Whiteouts while driving are bad enough. If the windshield is covered, you are in double jeopardy. In the 1920s many of the vehicles did not have windshields, a practice that cannot be recommended today.

. Belts and hoses should be given a thorough check.

Ask your mechanic if there is anything else that should be checked. They are the professionals. They can help keep your car on the road and rolling. Once you’ve gotten your vehicles ready for the winter onslaught, you can go back to the glorious fall weather we Mainers have been enjoying.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. Individual and business memberships are available at modest rates. Interested and motivated prospective volunteers are always needed and welcomed to apply to help with our mission. For assistance with consumer-related issues, including consumer fraud and identity theft, or for more information, write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor ME 04402-1329.