You get your car clean finally after all those fall months of rain and leaves, then the snow comes.

Tuesday, January 02, 2001

You get your car clean finally after all those fall months of rain and leaves, then the snow comes.

Soon, your nice clean car is white and salt covered.

So, you go to the car wash to spray it off because road salt affects only your car’s finish right?

Not according to the experts.

"The outside of a car is not the part most affected by road salt," said Steve Halverson, service manager at Higgins Chevrolet. "The inside and underneath parts of the automobile are the vital areas to keep clean."

Halverson said that keeping the rotors and wheels, insides of doors and the entire underneath portion of a car salt free is often what people forget to do but should be the first thing done.

Still, road salt, or winter maintenance for that matter, is not as much of a problem for cars today as it was a few years back.

"Cars made from 1996 on are not as much of a problem for us because of electronic improvements, longer-wear parts and rust-resistant materials," Halverson said, "Now cars can go for 140-miles before its first regular tune-up."

Halverson said that one good thing to do while traveling in the winter cold is to keep antifreeze and gasoline in the car as a safety precaution. Also, he suggested that before winter hits to take the car to get regular preventative maintenance done before bigger problems occur.

"All too often, an already worn part will be affected by cold weather when trying to start the car," Halverson said. "And that can be prevented by having everything checked out ahead of time."

Halverson also said that tires are important to have checked. To prevent sliding caused by slick winter roads, checking tire treads will determine if tires need to be rotated or replaced, he said.

"Many car problems are easy to recognize and easy to fix with regular maintenance and check-ups. Winterizing a car is not an obstacle at all."