As the days start getting shorter, it’s a good time to prepare your vehicle for the winter months ahead. Giving your Cadillac a thorough seasonal servicing can help it cope with the frigid temperatures and typical snow and ice during a North Dakota winter. Here are some tips for how best to winterize your car.
Change Your Tires and Check Their Pressure
If you’re wondering how winter affects your Cadillac, one of the biggest impacts it has is on your tires’ performance. As roads get icy and snowy, tires that perform excellently in the spring and summer can struggle to cope. That’s why it’s a great idea to ensure that your Cadillac gets fitted with winter tires as soon as the cold season approaches. These types of tires are specially designed to provide you with added traction in cold and icy conditions.
Throughout the winter period, be sure to check the pressure of your tires regularly. As the air temperature gets colder, the volume of the air in your tires will decline, resulting in them losing pressure. Tires with lower pressure than the level recommended by the manufacturer can underperform and wear unevenly. This can result in you having to replace your tires prematurely. To avoid this, try using a pressure gauge to test your tires every week. If the pressure seems low, you can drop by our service center to have your tires pumped up.
Change Your Engine Oil
Engine oil gets thicker when it turns cold. Some types of engine oil can get so thick in winter that the oil pump won’t be able to circulate the oil around your engine. If this happens, your engine’s parts can be exposed to wear and tear because they won’t have the protected engine oil coating that helps them run smoothly.
The best way to avoid this is to replace your engine oil with a lower viscosity alternative. Synthetic oils are generally good for this purpose, but you should first check your Cadillac owner’s manual to make sure that you’re using an engine oil that’s suitable for your vehicle. If you’re unsure about which oil to use, take your Cadillac into our service center here at Rydell Cadillac in Grand Forks, and we’ll be happy to help you by supplying you with oil that’s well suited for Cadillacs in winter.
Change Your Windshield Wiper Fluid
Windshield wipers can have a hard time coping with the extra cold temperatures we get here in North Dakota. Icy windshields can damage your wiper blades, while wiper fluid that’s not designed for winter conditions can end up freezing on your windshield.
It’s critical to ensure that you have a wiper fluid designed to deal with the cold. These fluids are not only resistant to freezing but can actually help break up the ice that forms on your windshield.
In addition, you should make sure that your wipers are new and in good condition. Extra cold temperatures can cause the rubber on poorly-maintained blades to split, which can stop your wipers from ensuring you have a clear view of the road ahead.
Get Your Battery Tested
Car batteries typically perform less well in cold temperatures. That’s because more energy is required for the battery to operate. If your battery is already reaching the end of its life, a cold snap during the winter may prove enough to knock it out of service. To avoid this, get your battery tested before winter sets in. The Car Care Council recommends that if your battery is more than three years old, you should have it replaced.
You should keep jump leads in your car during the winter months for an extra layer of safety. That way, if your battery does die, you can jump-start it, so you’re not stuck at the breakdown site.
Take Note of Reduced EV Performance
The general point we’ve just explained about battery performance also applies to electric vehicles. Some vehicle testers have noted a decline by about 10 to 20 percent in an EV’s driving range during cold temperatures. This is due to a number of factors. Firstly, the battery requires more energy to get the engine up to speed since the parts take longer to warm up. Secondly, the battery needs to use up more energy to keep your vehicle warm, reducing the available power to drive your vehicle.
Due to these factors, you should adjust your expectations for your EV’s driving range during the winter. By doing this, you can avoid running your battery flat while you’re on the go.
Check Your Antifreeze Levels
Antifreeze, also known as engine coolant, plays an important role during the winter by preventing your engine from freezing up. However, antifreeze needs to be changed regularly to work effectively. The Car Care Council recommends flushing your antifreeze every two years, so if it’s been longer than that since you last did this task, it’s time to take action.
One thing to avoid is adding pure antifreeze to your vehicle since its freezing point is typically higher than what it is when it’s mixed with water. You should also check to see if the antifreeze you’re using is suitable for extremely cold weather.
Bring Your Vehicle to Rydell Cadillac of Grand Forks for Your Winter Maintenance Needs
If you want to ensure that your Cadillac is all set for the winter months, drop by our Grand Forks service center and let our expert mechanics take care of your North Dakota winter car maintenance needs. Here at Rydell Cadillac, we’ve got years of experience in helping customers like you winterize their vehicles so they can cope with everything that the North Dakota weather throws at them.
If you want to reserve a service appointment, you can fill out our online booking request form. Alternatively, drop by our Grand Forks dealership or contact our helpful team of auto experts today. We look forward to helping you get set up for the cold months to come.
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