Fall Car Care
by Samantha Gomez, Service Drive Manager
by Samantha Gomez, Service Drive Manager
It's time to get your vehicle refreshed as we approach the end of summer. Fall is an excellent time to get ahead of the game and start planning for driving in rain, icy or any wintry weather conditions. Whether you take care of these items yourself or you visit your trusted Certified Volkswagen Dealership, it is important to assure your vehicle is safe and ready for the road.
1) Tires: Why is it important to check your tires?
Tires are one of the highest priorities when it comes to the safety of your family and friends. Tires can greatly affect the actual stopping distance of your vehicle. Stopping distance can almost double with worn tires compared to new tires. The tire tread depth helps give your tires traction and the grooves in the rubber are designed to push out water from beneath the tires to prevent hydroplaning. As you drive, friction and road wear slowly eat away at the tread and reduce the depth.
To check the tire conditions at home, start with turning your front tires to one side. This will give you a larger area for inspection and you'll be able to see the inside of your front tires. Since you can’t turn the rear tires, visually inspect the inner sides of the tires from the rear. In the United States, tires are measured by 32nds of an inch. Measure from the top of the tire tread to the bottom of the deepest groove. Most tires typically start with 10 or 11/32nds of tread depth. All tires have wear bar indicators which typically measure at 3/32nds of tread depth left. You can see these wear bars inside the grooves which are placed perpendicular to the direction of the tire itself. You should replace your tires at 4/32nds or below. Always replace your tires when they hit the wear bar indicators. Aside from tire tread, you should also check the overall condition of the tires inspecting for even wear, proper tire pressure, and any road hazard damage.
3) Check Exterior Lights: When it comes to vehicle exterior lights, we can be a bit spoiled as many of our vehicles will tell us when there is a light out via the interior bulb light indicator. There are always benefits however, to a “do it yourself light check”. To do so, start with the rear of the vehicle; check the left and right turn signal operations, taillights, reverse lights, brake lights, emergency flashers and license plate bulbs. At the front of the vehicle, check your headlights, daytime running lights, turn signals, fog lights – if equipped, side marker lights, emergency lights and high beams. Some vehicles may also have turn signals on the side view mirrors. It is important that your vehicle’s exterior lights are in working condition for your own safety and for the safety of others.
2)
Wiper Blades: Sometimes
you do not know you need them until you need them. Therefore, it is a must to
check the condition of your wiper blades. The last thing anyone would want to
be stuck in is pouring rain with poor wiper blade conditions as this will
impair your visibility while driving. Additionally, if your wipers are
coming apart, they can scratch your windshield leaving permanent marks.
When
inspecting the condition of your wiper blades you will want to look for signs
of aging, cracking, dryness or stiffness. Pull the wiper blades up with your
hands to check for any tears or cuts in the rubber. If you need them, it is
worth every penny to replace them. A good rule of thumb is to replace them
every year just like changing your oil.
3) Check Exterior Lights: When it comes to vehicle exterior lights, we can be a bit spoiled as many of our vehicles will tell us when there is a light out via the interior bulb light indicator. There are always benefits however, to a “do it yourself light check”. To do so, start with the rear of the vehicle; check the left and right turn signal operations, taillights, reverse lights, brake lights, emergency flashers and license plate bulbs. At the front of the vehicle, check your headlights, daytime running lights, turn signals, fog lights – if equipped, side marker lights, emergency lights and high beams. Some vehicles may also have turn signals on the side view mirrors. It is important that your vehicle’s exterior lights are in working condition for your own safety and for the safety of others.
4) Check Battery: Batteries, batteries, batteries, what would we do without batteries? Not much! Your vehicle’s battery health needs to be checked regularly. Stop by anytime and we would be happy to test your vehicle’s battery for you at no charge. This will only take a couple of minutes. It is well worth the time as it is always a good idea to be on top of this. We would not want anyone to be stuck unexpectedly with a dead battery at 2am in a dark parking lot.
5) Check Brake Pad Wear: We need brakes to stop the car so let’s make sure we have reliable brakes. Going is optional.... Stopping is required! Like tires, brake pads also measure down during wear. Brake Pads are measured by millimeters. Typically, brake pads start at 12mm (depending on the vehicle). Some vehicles may have brake pad wear or warning indicators. The best way to check your brakes is through regular brake wear checkups. Continuing to drive on worn brake pads can be dangerous and lead to additional repairs that would end up costing more than a brake job.
Manufacturers suggested replacement intervals are between 4 and 3mm of remaining brake pad wear. These inspections are recommended regularly or with every tire rotation so that the pads are in a position for measurement.
We hope you have enjoyed the summer heat and that fall weather is right around the corner!
Happy Motoring,
Samantha Gomez
Hewlett VW Service Drive Manager
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