Seasonal Car Care Guide

Most breakdowns aren't random — they're seasonal. A few checks at the right time of year catch small problems before they strand you.

Right now

Summer Car Care

Heat is as hard on a car as cold is — overheating and battery failure both spike in summer, and road trip season adds extra miles on top.

• Check your AC before you need it, not during the first heat wave when every shop is booked.
• Check coolant level and condition. Engines run hotter in summer heat, which raises overheating risk if coolant is low or old.
• Recheck tire pressure. Hot pavement raises tire temperature and pressure — the opposite problem from winter, but worth checking either direction.
• Test your battery. Heat degrades batteries just as much as cold does, just more gradually — many batteries that fail in winter were actually weakened by the summer before.
• Before a road trip: check fluid levels, tire tread, and wiper condition. Small problems are cheaper to catch at home than on the highway.

Cold weather is hardest on batteries and fluids — most winter breakdowns are preventable with a few checks before the first freeze.

• Test your battery. Cold weather is when a marginal battery finally fails — capacity drops as temperature drops, so a battery that was "fine" in October can strand you in January.
• Check your antifreeze/coolant concentration. It needs to be rated for the coldest temperatures you'll actually see, not just "full."
• Check tire tread depth, and consider dedicated winter tires if you're in an area that gets real snow — all-season tires are a compromise, not a winter tire replacement.
• Keep your tank at least half full. It reduces the risk of fuel line freeze and gives you a reserve if you're stranded.
• Switch to a winter-rated washer fluid — regular fluid can freeze on your windshield instead of clearing it.
• Keep a basic emergency kit in the trunk: blanket, flashlight, jumper cables, ice scraper.

Spring is cleanup season — winter leaves behind road salt, pothole damage, and tires that need rechecking now that temperatures have swung back up.

• Recheck tire pressure. Cold winter air drops PSI, and pressure needs to be rechecked as temperatures rise back up — don't just assume it's still correct.
• Rinse the undercarriage. Road salt buildup over winter accelerates rust, especially in areas that salt roads heavily.
• Check your alignment if you hit potholes over the winter — spring is peak pothole season as roads thaw and crack.
• Inspect wiper blades. A winter's worth of ice-scraping wears them out faster than normal use.
• Have your brakes checked. Winter driving (salt, grit, harder stops) is tougher on brakes than most other seasons.

Fall is prep season for winter — the checks here are cheaper and easier to handle now than after the first cold snap.

• Check your heater and defroster before you need them on a cold morning.
• Check tire tread depth ahead of winter — replacing tires is easier to plan for in October than after the first snowfall.
• Test your battery ahead of winter, since cold is what finally finishes off a battery that's already weakening.
• Check antifreeze concentration ahead of cold weather.
• Replace wiper blades before winter storms arrive — old blades and the first ice storm of the season are a bad combination.