15 Tips to Prepare Your Vehicle for Winter
Do what’s hard when it’s easy! That’s great advice as we head into the cold, wet months — take care of basic maintenance and preparations for your car now, before winter hits. Here at Shuttle Express, we’re always prepared and have a plan to get our guests where they need to be, to Sea-Tac Airport or anywhere, even in nasty weather.
If you need some advice to get started, here are 15 things to do to prep your vehicle for winter from the experts at AAA, Department of Homeland Security, How Stuff Works, and the National Safety Council. While some of these may sound obvious, if you’re not reminded, they may not get done. So, check these out, and you’ll be ready before the first snow flake flies!
1. Swap out your tires for winter tires with an adequate tread if your climate is particularly snowy or icy.
2. Make sure to properly inflate your tires, and never mix radials with other types.
3. Replace your regular wiper blades with a pair designed to handle snow and ice.
4. Buy windshield wiper fluid specifically made for freezing weather, and make sure your windshield fluid is always filled.
5. Check to see that your front and rear lights, and flashing hazard lights work.
6. Remember to keep your fuel tank full, don’t risk letting it get too empty. You may need a full tank if you’re stranded, need to evacuate the area, or fuel delivery near you is compromised.
7. Keep an ice scraper and snow brush in the car.
8. Pack an extra mobile phone charger so you always have it in your vehicle.
9. Program important phone numbers in your phone (vehicle services, insurance agent, someone to call in case you need help).
10. Pack hats, gloves, and blankets.
11. Pack non-perishable food that will make it through the season, such as packaged energy bars, canned nuts, dried fruits and hard candy.
12. Keep a couple of gallons of bottled water in your car.
13. Wash and wax your vehicle now before it’s subjected to salted roadways during ice and snow storms; this helps prevent corrosion.
14. Here are more items to keep in your emergency kit: shovel, bag of sand or cat litter for traction, basic tool kit, flashlight and batteries, matches in a waterproof container, and reflective triangles or flares.
15. Have a well-stocked first aid kit in your car at all times (not just during winter!).
Need a ride?
If the weather outside is frightful and you’d rather someone else drive, take Shuttle Express! Our professional, friendly drivers and chauffeurs have been at the wheel driving through good weather and bad for 30 years, getting our guests safely to their destinations. We’re best known for our iconic Sea-Tac Airport van service, but we do it all—luxury cars, large and small coaches, and private vans.
Remember, when ice and snow are in the forecast, we get busy! So book your ride early at shuttleexpress.com or on our new app. Want to talk to someone? Call us at 425-981-7000. Stay safe this winter!