Illustration by Kristopher Lee
Last winter was epic.
Ice-coated roads and snow-bound neighborhoods paralyzed the city. Record cold and snow forced many drivers to abandon their cars on the side of the road, woefully unprepared for nature's fury.
Like many in Seattle, I was caught off-guard by December's storms. An older battery and balding tires meant that my car was stuck in the driveway for more than a week. I was trapped by my own negligence.
This year, I'm determined not to let winter get the best of my vehicle. Here are five areas I'm focusing on to prepare my car for the onset of harsh conditions.
Battery: Winter weather is hard on batteries. Cold saps their power and thickens oil, requiring more energy to turn over the engine.
If your battery is older than three years, it should be tested to determine whether it carries an adequate charge, says Jennifer Cook, spokesperson for AAA Washington.
Fall is also a good time to clean the battery terminals. Remove the cables from the posts (negative cable first) and use a wire brush on areas that are greasy, dirty or showing corrosion.
Tires: Like the battery, tire performance is affected by frigid weather. Tires can lose 1 PSI for every 10 degrees the temperature drops, Cook says.
Check your tires by placing a penny upside down in the tread. (Jeff Layton)
Low tire pressure causes uneven wear, lowers gas mileage and can reduce traction on wet surfaces, where it's needed the most.
To check your tread, Cook suggests inserting a penny upside-down in the grooves. "If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, it's time for new tires," she says.
Studded tires may be a good investment for drivers who frequently drive in icy conditions. However, they are not generally recommended in Western Washington, says Cook, because they require greater stopping distance on wet roadways.
Wiper blades and fluid: You can't drive if you can't see, and it had been a year since I installed new wiper blades. Summer sun had caused them to warp and crack, and they were leaving thick streaks on my windshield.
To ensure good visibility, wiper blades should be replaced every six months, according to AAA. In addition, you should top off your window-cleaning fluid with non-freezing washer liquid. Reservoirs filled with water can freeze solid in the cold.
Antifreeze: My old Volkswagen Jetta had a slow radiator leak last winter, and when the coolant became noticeably low I would add tap water. Big mistake.
Eventually, the amount of antifreeze became so low that my radiator turned into a block of ice during a deep freeze. I didn't know until my car overheated, stranding me in 10-degree weather.
Antifreeze and water should be mixed evenly in your radiator. You can test the ratio by using a $3 antifreeze tester, available at local auto parts stores. If you drain your own radiator fluid, remember that the coolant cannot be disposed of down the drain.
Emergency kit: When I was 8 years old, my family was driving over Stevens Pass when two avalanches trapped us on the mountain road for hours.
It was a cold and scary experience, but, fortunately, my mom stored several blankets in our car. Now, I don't drive anywhere in winter without a proper emergency kit.
The Washington State Department of Transportation recommends that drivers carry warm blankets, extra clothes, food and water, a flashlight, an ice scraper, tire chains, flares and jumper cables. A snow shovel and a bag of sand or kitty litter (the non-clumping kind) also are useful for getting out of heavy snow.
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