Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WeatherProven #CollectiveBias
Well back to school season has come and gone so now we are set on the beauty of fall time, my favorite but have you started thinking about that white stuff yet? Yes, that stuff – SNOW!!! Sure, it might not feel like snow could be in the forecast but as a Colorado native I know that in just a moment the weather can change. That means it is time to start thinking about making sure you are ready for winter. This includes preparing your vehicle.
Cold Weather Car Prep
Hopefully if you are ever needing a jump in the winter someone would be kind enough to stop and help you but frankly, why would you want that risk? This is probably my worst fear, having a car, in the cold, that will NOT GO – especially if I have my kids with me.
So, before the cold weather hits, I always have my husband double check our car batteries. Simply make sure your battery’s posts and connections are corrosion-free and also check to see if your battery has all the water it needs to run properly. If your battery is a bit older it might be ideal to take it into a shop and actually have it tested. We try to change our batteries every three years, or less.
As Colorado natives we do feel like we are pretty responsible drivers in the winter weather but sometimes the weather interferes more than you would ever expect. Road closures, long travel time, car issues and even accidents can lead to you being stuck in your car for hours in the cold winter weather. Yikes!
Items to add to your car kit include:
- Jumper Cables
- Bottle of Water
- Blanket
- Gloves/hats/scarves
- Snacks
- First Aid Kit
- Flair
- Flashlight
- Matches/lighter
- Cell phone battery block
- Small shovel
- Activities for the kids
All of these items would come in handy anytime of the year but especially important to have for those winter months.
Get New Shoes For Your Car
Yes, your car deserves new shoes for the winter season just like you do! Driving in winter weather can be a bit scary so it is important to have tires on your car that handle well in all weather.
A few weekends ago we headed to Sam’s Club to purchase new tires for our cars. When we walked up to the counter it was great to find out that New Goodyear® Assurance® WeatherReady™ tires are now available at Sam’s Club. This is a tire that can tackle ALL extreme weather conditions which is exactly the kind of tire we need in Colorado. Weather can change in a moment and you need your car to be ready for those changes.
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady Tire Facts:
- Evolving Traction Grooves to provide like-new traction as the tire wears
- 3D TredLock® Technology Blades – predictable traction in turns when the weather changes
- Goodyear’s Best All Weather Traction
- Good Value tire
- This tire only fits certain vehicles
- Use the Sam’s Club Tire Selector Tool to find your tire size.
Having new WeatherReady tires on our car has me feeling safe when driving in any kind of weather. Rain, snow, sleet or sunshine. We are ready!
Wiper Upgrade
One essential for winter driving is being able to see, seems obvious but seriously, when was the last time you changed your wiper blades? Yeah, you might want to do that. While focused on this, make sure you purchase some windshield wiper fluid to fill up your reservoir for those days you find yourself dealing with splash back and dirty snow. TIP – never fill your reservoir up with water, it will freeze and you will be dealing with an even bigger issue.
Frost Removal Solution
I wish I could say I love winter but any snowy days that I have to drive I do not love winter. Mostly because of other crazy drivers but also because of the frost and ice on my windshield. If your mornings are like ours, you know that there is no extra time to sit in your running car to defrost the windows…NO extra time. One way to cut down on the hassle of scrapping and waiting for the ice to defrost is creating an easy and safe frost removal solution.
How to make Frost Removal Solution:
One part water and mix it with two parts of rubbing alcohol. Mix these solutions together and pour it into a simple spray bottle. Spray solution liberally on the windshield and scrape any remaining ice away.
I love simple and safe solutions like this and we have added it to our winter time essentials.
Now, you are all prepared so you can fully appreciate this beautiful snowy picture! Sure, winter can be frustrating and cold but this picture pretty much sums up why we LOVE living in Colorado, even in the winter. Oh the beauty!
What are your tips for preparing your car for the winter?
*Save $80 off the displayed retail price. Excludes medium commercial truck tires. Not to be combined with any other offer. Offer can be changed, modified or cancelled at any time. No rain checks. See a Sam’s Club® Tire & Battery Center Associate for eligible tires, details, terms and conditions.
Sam's Club is one of my favorite places to shop. I like that I can get all sorts of things done there while shopping. I will have to prep my car for winter soon.
Where was this post when I lived on the east coast?!?!? I would have totally not found myself in the ridiculous situations I often found myself in LOL! Being from Ca it was such a shock to know that I had to take precautions with my car during the winter. I often found myself stuck in feets of snow that took me hours to dig out! Thank you for the tips! I think tip #2 is my fav.
This is such a great post to share with people. The cold weather can be so brutal especially when you least expect it. Prepping your car for the colder months is something everyone should do!
Thanks for these helpful tips! I’m a college student living on my own, and miles away from my dad who would usually help me out with all of this. Now I can be better prepared!
There isn't much weather where I live, but that doesn't deter me from wanting to be prepared. I need a car emergency kit like yours to make sure I'm set if there's an emergency. I've done a lot of work to my car this year so I'm thinking that part should be ok, but I don't know for sure.
Oh, man! Reading this post brought back memories of living in a colder climate. It took time and money to prep the car for winter, but it was necessary. You've pretty much covered everything! Great post and tips. 🙂
I have been trying to get prepared lately because we just got hit with the cold weather. That is quite the wake up call for me when I go outside in shorts and learn that Summer is in fact actually over! Thanks for the tips, I will be get on top of this as soon as possible!
Oh my gosh! This is so new to me, being that I live in southern california and have probably seen snow but 3 times my whole life! Wow! I can't believe everything you go through and it's amazing to me that you have a solution you could come up with to remove frost! I feel like Winter is Coming and it will be a cold one this year! So glad for the heads up!
I wish *I* lived in Colorado! For SO many reasons!
Is it that time of year already? I went outside in shorts and about froze my legs off this morning. I do not have an emergency car kit either. Gotta get that in my car pronto!