The Fall Vehicle Safety Maintenance Check List

This fall, if you have a family, a job or other prior engagements, you are going to be using your vehicle fairly often. Whether you put on ten miles a day or one hundred miles a day, the necessity for safety remains the same. Thus, maintaining your vehicle well during this season is crucial. With the possibility of high winds, heavy rains and colder weather, a lot can happen to your vehicle. The following check list is detailed to give you the scoop on what you need to do in order to maintain your vehicle this fall, all by yourself. 

Oil Changes and Oil Checks

The weather may have cooled, but your vehicle will still be running the same as it always does. This means that you still need to check your engine oil frequently, and change it when it is dark. 

Wind Shield Wiper Replacements

Winter is close by, and thus if your wind shield wipers can not get the job down now, they will not be able to get it done in the following months. If you are not satisfied with your wind shield wipers, or want to try to get better performance from them, your best bet will be to replace them. 

Tire Pressure

Slick roads are made far worse by swathes of damp leaves. The fall is beautiful, but if your tires are too low on air, you will find yourself in an ugly side of it. Check your tires frequently and fill them up as needed.

Antifreeze

You may think the colder weather negates the need for temperature regulation in your vehicle, but that can not be any further from the truth; cold or not, antifreeze is still a necessity. Check your levels whenever you check your oil, and top off as needed.

Check the Tread on Your Tires

Having enough air in your tires will not give you all the traction you need; if your tires are bald, they will slip easily on the fall leaves, causing any number of problems. Prevent this by checking your tread before the fall season to ensure that your tires have sufficient tread. If they do not, consider purchasing a new set of tires—ones that will be of as much use in the fall as the winter. 

Brakes

You want to pay attention to your brakes at all times, but especially in the fall. During this season, your brakes will be used nearly twice as much as in the summer or spring seasons. This is due to the slippery conditions that the road will be in as the leaves fall from the trees. If you find that your brakes are making sounds that you do not recognize, or they are vibrating your vehicle, or they are simply taking more pressure or time than usual to kick in, it is imperative that you bring your vehicle in to get looked at. The winter season will not be any kinder to it, and thus the problem should be addressed before the next season, as the roads will only continue to get worse.