Start thinking about winterizing your vehicle now

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - By now, you know it’s cold and it’s going to even more frigid on Friday. Now is the time to start thinking about your vehicle.

Clay Ingram with Alabama AAA said they are expecting more than one hundred million people to be traveling by car this year across the country. But, with freezing temperatures likely to hit right around the holiday, Ingram said it is crucial you prepare your car.

It comes down this: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

No where is that more true than making sure your car or truck can handle the brutal cold coming on Friday. Tuscaloosa Toyota says a pretty good volume of its customers typically make the annual trip to make sure their vehicle is in good shape, and that ranges from everything from you car battery, tire pressure and particularly the effectiveness of your anti-freeze.

“First, your anti-freeze is most important. When the temperature goes down below freezing, the anti-freeze is inside the block of the engine. The heater cord, the radiator. So you don’t want that to freeze and it can rupture a block,” said Tuscaloosa Toyota Service Director Paul Hardin.

“The truth is the parts of the vehicle don’t like extreme temperatures whether it’s cold or heat, in particular your tires and battery. The cold weather will zap your battery very quickly,” said Ingram.

Ingram recommended double checking that you have jumper cables. But, Ingram said if its two to three years old, you may need to replace the battery before the cold hits.

Hardin and Ingram says the worst thing that can happen in the cold is your engine block could crack. With that you’re looking at real expense that can be prevented.

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