Friday, December 13, 1996 — North Shore News ~ 5 ban Yeu may be ready for winter - but is your car? SURE, it’s slick out there, but because you read last week’s col- umn, you’re totally pre- pared for slick, snowy and icy road conditions ~— but is your car? Most drivers reluctantly endure a “warm-up” routine before driving away in their vehicle, especially on a snowy or frosty day. You know the drill — fire up the engine, crank the heater, scrape of F the frost or snow. Surprisingly, many folks don’t even bother to take the exira bit of time this takes to make their journey comfort- able and safe. These are the same folks you sce motoring down the road peering out of a four-inch clear spot on their fogged-up windshield and are shedding big clumps of snow as they round a corner. Unfortunately, there are a far larger number of drivers who, while no doubt well- meaning, are not properly preparing their cars for a win tery drive. Foiks, vour car was designed with safety in mind. Use this faet to vour advan- tage rather burving it in snow and ice. Here are some tips: ¢ if you have air-conditioning in your vehicle, you can use it in conjunction with your front defrost unit. Air-condi- tioners pump out very dry air — it is moisture that makes your windows fog up. ¢ [fF there is snow on your car, clear off all of the windows. Many people clear their front SERVICE & USED PARTS windsereen but neglect the back and side windows for same reason — | guess they don’t care what's surrounding them. This is tunnel-vision thinking and it’s a bad, bad thing. © Now, while you're ar ix, clear off the entire car, Snow will block your headlights and taillights which makes them useless. White stuff on the hood and trunk will whe up in a frenzy once vou're Mov. ing and chis can blind you and others around you. Most importantly, clear off that lit- de grill at the bottom of your windshield — it is dhe air- intake vent for vour heater and de-fogger which will barely wi ork when smothered, much like a clogged vacuum cleaner (this vent can also be clogged by Autumn leaves: * Keep your gas tank full. Though this is expensive once, keeping the tank topped off will prevent condensation in your fuct tank through the cold, damp seasons. It will alse give you tore weight which will give vou more trac- tion, especially in rear-wheel drive vehicles (it’s all physics). And, best of all, it will aliow veut to keep your engine run- ning and, thus, your car warm tu. along time should you end up st..ck our there on a dark, cold, snowy night. ¢ Keep your windshield wash- er reservoir full and mixed with antifreeze soap. Discovering that you've run out of cleaning uid while you're out on the highway and covered with sludge is not unlike jumping out of an airplane and then checking vour parachute. If vou find vourself cleaning the wind- shield regularly, take it as a reminder to clean your head- lights — they are bound to be just as dirty, OF course, these daily aps won't heip you as much if (MECHANICAL & BODY PARTS) We'll chop your Autoplan| into twelve tiny pieces. With Autoplan 12 at BCAA, enjoy twelve easy payments, no bills, and easy budgeting. Also featuring: « Reduced interest rate « No renewal fee BCAA Insurance AGENCY GD Nobody has you covered like BCAA 608 Park Royal North Phone: 268-5650 (exterior location between Canada Trust & The Bay} Land Rover Discovery & Range Rover 4.0SE and 4.6HSE available now for immediate delivery SALES & SERVICE FULL VALET SERVICE FOR PICK UP & DROP OFF For information call Kevin Machell-Cox, Centre Manager 273-6068 '97 Tercels & ’'97 Corelias v6 Ne Ce |'96 Camry LE — i V6, Leather, Loaded | J Was $36,572 ONLY 3 LEFT | The safest most refined E vine Van on the market you haven’t prepared your car for the long-term effect of winter. A few of the less obvious winterization tips should help you endure the frigid gloom in the months to come: ¢ Check your tire pressure, Tires, while they were fine last summer, will lose about Spsi in colder weather and under- inflated tires have less traction (more physics). While you're at it, check the pressure in your spare tre —~ which reminds me, do you know where your spare is? Do vou know where your car jack is? By the way, those handy lize, high pressured, space-saver spare tires leak like a sieve — it’s inherent in their design. Check them often. * If you own tire chains, prac- tice putting them on in a nice warm place rather than wait- ing for a dark, snowy night to pull out the instruction book. ® Have your engine coolant flushed and replaced every year or two. Antifreeze deteri- orates over time as does its rust inhibitors. * Brake fluid is not eternal either. Though it does last longer, it fatigues everitually. Check your manual or manu- factures label to find out. Now that you’re all prepped to go softly into thé good grief of cold day, ask yourself, *Do I really have to go out in this? Is there any way I can avoid using slippery hills? Can { rake a bus instead? Can it wait until comorrow when that good ol’ Vancouver rain has washed away all these icy, snowy hazards?” If you’re still in your car after answering these ques- tons and not inside with a steamin’ mug of hot choco- late, be safe.