Whether we like it or not, we just can’t stop winter from coming but we can minimize its effect on our vehicles by taking advantage of the free Winter Car Care maintenance inspection that will be provided by participating AAA Approved Auto Repair (AAR) facilities found in Illinois and northern Indiana.
The free inspections are part of the AAA Chicago’s 2007 Winter Car Care Program which will run through the month of October and now on its 28th year. The good news is there is no AAA membership required in short it’s free for the public. All Illinois and Indiana motorists are invited to partake of this rare opportunity.
The auto parts that would be inspected by the AAR facilities will include the battery load and terminals, anti-freeze, oil, brake fluid, power steering, and transmission fluids, belts, hoses, tires, and wiper blades.
Most of the common problems noted by AAR technicians include old or corroded batteries, damaged or worn wiper blades, clogged air filters, tire pressure and wear, low windshield washer fluid, dirty or low motor oil and low anti-freeze levels.
For Illinois and Indiana, AAR technicians have found out that faulty batteries and faulty terminal connections are often the cause of more car starting problems as compared to any other factor. This is not surprising since cold weather is really a major cause of battery’s starting power problem, the drop in temperature also affects the battery’s power.
According to Robert Kazor, AAA Chicago’s Assistant Vice President of Automotive Services, "Older batteries are especially troublesome in winter. And a variety of high-tech devices ranging from DVD players to automatic, sliding car doors are placing even greater demands on a vehicle's electronic system."
AAA is also recommending for motorists to closely monitor the condition of their vehicle’s battery especially those that are two years old and above. In addition, it is not advised to rely on the 7 year warranty of your batteries since there is no guarantee that an older battery will continue to perform well in cold weather.
The main objective of the free AAA Winter Car Care maintenance inspections is to help car owners to prepare their vehicles for the coming winter season and at the same time help them to improve fuel economy even on such weather condition. The mere replacement of clogged air filter can improve fuel economy by as much as 10 percent or saving up to 32 cents per gallon. Aside from that, a new air filter can also help to keep impurities from damaging the inside of the engine. These are just some of the winter car care maintenance tips that AAA would share as part of its free inspections.