It’s just about that time again—the kids are going back to school. Halloween decorations are going up—soon to be replaced by Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa offerings. We’re smack in the middle of fall now, but soon Old Man Winter will arrive to stall engines, freeze your metal tools, and make a simple tire change turn into a dangerous game of ‘avoid the ice slicks’! Now’s as good a time as any to prepare your 4×4 for the aches and pains of winter!

A lot of these suggestions are common sense, but the procrastinator that waits until the middle of winter to get maintenance tasks out of the way could find themselves stranded off-road between a rock and a cold place! First, do a front-end inspection while lubing everything that needs it. Lubing hood/door hinges, latches, axle joints, and anything else that may get frozen shut will save your butt eventually. Make sure the motor oil and filter have been changed recently—if not change it today!

Check coolant levels and viscosity. If things are looking rusty, go ahead and flush the cooling system, then add in new coolant. Belts and hoses, being one of the major complications in cold weather, should all be checked/replaced as needed. This is also a good time to go through rear and front brakes, as driving over icy roads is already risky enough without having the brakes fail on you! Load testing the battery is also a good idea, to prevent any untimely power failures that leave you stuck out in the cold.

Going through your lights is also a good idea. Check to make sure they all work, especially if your area is known for having snowstorms that make visibility difficult. Automatic windows are also vulnerable to getting stuck or frozen, so try troubleshooting them now before you have problems with them during the winter. Same goes for exhaust and muffler systems—you don’t want to mess with these things in the middle of a snowstorm. Similar to the windows, wiping down door gaskets with Armorall is a good protection method to avoid having your doors frozen shut, especially if you don’t often use passenger side or rear doors. Pre-winter preparations is also a good time to get the interior cleaned one last time, before the torrent of dirty snow and the pungent aroma of wet clothes fills up your vehicle! Also, carry two window scrapers instead of one—someone ALWAYS manages to lose theirs when they really need it.

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