Your Car's Four-Season Maintenance Plan

Your car faces different challenges with each changing season. Extreme heat, freezing cold, rain, and road salt all take their toll on your vehicle's most critical systems.

By following a simple seasonal maintenance schedule, you can improve safety, boost reliability, and prevent small issues from turning into expensive, unexpected breakdowns. Here is our essential checklist to keep your car running smoothly all year long.

🌱 Spring: Wash Away Winter & Prep for Warmer Weather

Winter is tough on cars. Spring is the perfect time to address the wear and tear and get ready for spring showers and summer road trips.

Wash and Detail: A thorough wash, especially the undercarriage, is crucial to remove corrosive road salt and grime that can cause rust.
Check Your Tires: If you use winter tires, swap them for your all-season or summer set. Check the tread depth and set the pressure to the recommended PSI. This is also the best time for a wheel alignment, as winter potholes can easily knock it out of spec.
Replace Wiper Blades: Ice and snow can destroy wiper blades. Replace them now for streak-free visibility during spring rainstorms. Top off your washer fluid.
Test the AC: Don't wait for the first 90-degree day. Turn on your AC now to make sure it's blowing cold. If it's not, you can get it serviced before the summer rush.

☀️ Summer: Beat the Heat

Intense summer heat is the number one enemy of your car's battery and cooling system. A breakdown on a hot day is miserable and dangerous.

Inspect the Cooling System: Overheating is a major risk in summer. We check your coolant level, condition, and inspect all hoses and connections for leaks or cracks.
Test the Battery: Heat accelerates the chemical reactions inside a battery, causing them to fail more often in the summer than in the winter. Have your battery's charge and condition tested professionally.
Maintain Tire Pressure: Heat causes the air in your tires to expand, which can lead to over-inflation and increase the risk of a blowout. Check your tire pressure regularly.
Protect the Interior: Use a sunshade to protect your dashboard and upholstery from cracking and fading under the intense UV rays.

🍂 Fall: Prepare for Colder, Darker Days

Fall is a transitional season and your last chance to prepare for the harsh conditions of winter before they arrive.

Check Brakes: Wet leaves and early frosts can make roads slick. A thorough brake inspection is one of the most important safety checks you can perform before winter.
Test Heater & Defroster: Ensure your heater and defrosters are working properly. You'll need them to stay warm and to keep your windshield clear on frosty mornings.
Inspect All Lights: With shorter days ahead, walk around your car and check that all exterior lights are working—headlights, taillights, brake lights, and turn signals.
Check for Leaks: Look for any fluid spots on your driveway. Small leaks can become big problems when parts contract in the cold weather.

❄️ Winter: Focus on Safety and Reliability

Winter demands the most from your vehicle. A few key checks can be the difference between a safe commute and being stranded in the cold.

Get a Battery Health Check: This is non-negotiable. Cold temperatures reduce a battery's cranking power. A weak battery that started your car fine in the fall will fail on the first frigid morning.
Consider Winter Tires: If you live where it snows or ices over, winter tires provide dramatically better traction and stopping power than all-seasons in cold conditions. At a minimum, check the tread depth and pressure of your current tires.
Use Winter-Grade Fluids: Switch to a winter washer fluid that won't freeze in the lines. We can also check your antifreeze/coolant to ensure it provides adequate freeze protection.
Build an Emergency Kit: Pack a kit with essentials like a blanket, flashlight, jumper cables, ice scraper, and a small shovel.

We're Here to Help, All Year Round

Feeling overwhelmed? You don't have to do it all yourself. Bring your vehicle to us for a comprehensive seasonal inspection. Our expert technicians can handle these checks for you, giving you peace of mind no matter what the weather brings. Schedule your appointment today!