New Hampshire winters find every weak spot on a car. Most winter breakdowns we see could have been caught with a 20-minute look in October. Here's the list we run through, and which items you can check in your own driveway.
Check these yourself
- Tire tread. Stick a quarter into the tread upside down. If you can see the top of Washington's head, you're under 4/32", which is too thin for snow. Winter tires work best when daily highs stay below about 45°F.
- Tire pressure. Pressure drops about 1 PSI for every 10°F. Check it on a cold morning and fill to the number on the driver's door sticker, not the one on the tire. If the light comes on, here's what the tire pressure light means.
- Wipers and fluid. Replace streaky blades and fill up with winter washer fluid rated to -20°F. Summer fluid freezes in the lines.
- Lights. Walk around the car with the headlights, brake lights and turn signals on. Shorter days mean you're using them a lot more.
- Emergency kit. Scraper, brush, blanket, gloves, phone charger, a small shovel and a bag of sand or kitty litter for traction. Our stuck-in-snow guide has the full checklist. While you're at it, swap your key fob battery. Cold kills weak ones first.
Have a shop check these
- Battery. A battery loses about a third of its cranking power at freezing and more below zero. We load-test it so you know before it leaves you stranded. Three to five years old? Get it tested. (Already dead? Here's how to jump it safely.)
- Coolant strength. Coolant that's been diluted can freeze and crack an engine block. We test the freeze point in seconds.
- Brakes. Salt and slush speed up wear and seize caliper slides. We measure the pads and check the hardware.
- Belts and hoses. Rubber gets brittle in the cold. A cracked serpentine belt can take out your alternator, power steering and water pump all at once.
- Heater and defrost. If your windshield fogs and won't clear, that's a safety problem. It often points to a heater core, blend door or cabin filter issue.
The short version
Tires, battery and wipers cause most winter headaches. If you only do three things, do those. Our Seasonal Safety Check covers all ten, with a photo report texted to you.