Monday, October 29, 1984
Daily Nebraskan
Pago 9
Care tips einsiaire woiiding car-dover relauioMsMp
Dy Paul Shavlik
Dally Nebreaktn Staff Reporter
So there you are, sitting up late
on a sub-zero winter night, warm
and cozy in a big easy chair, hold
ing a cup of hot chocolate and
curled up with a good book.
You may find yourself spend
ing a great deal of your time
indoors this winter, but your car
won't have it that easy.
What steps can be taken to ensure
a favorable working relationship
between you and your car or
pickup this winter?
Here are a number of common
tips from local car dealers that
can help you and especially
your vehicle get through the
coming cold season:
Weather deteriorates a vehi
cle's finish year-round, but mostly
during the winter. A good wax
job before winter's arrival is recom
mended an amount of work,
granted, but well worth it. Most
brands of auto wax offer very
good protection. Prices for car
wax average around $4 to $5,
with some brands $8 and higher.
The salting of winter streets
and highways greatly increases
the chance of premature body
rusting. Therefore, it is a good
idea to continue washing your
vehicle during the winter to re
move road grime and salts, espe
cially inside the fenderwells. Also
wash the underside.
Undercoating is a process that
can help any car, especially a new
or relatively new one. A coating is
sprayed onto the underside of
the vehicle, protecting against
many external factors. An under
coating costs anywhere from $75
to $200. A word of caution: Price
around a bit, and if possible, view
some examples of a business'
work. Dont let your money be
sprayed into thin air.
YouH find driving through slush
and wet snow more pleasant with
clear view of the road, and this
view can depend on the vehicle's
windshield wiper blades. If the
windshield wiper blades are brit
tle or cracked, they should be
replaced. Depending on brands
and sizes, wiper blades cost be
tween $3 and $6 per set. You also
should have a good windshield
ice scraper. These are available at
most service stations and many
stores, and are inexpensive.
The radiator fluid should
be checked at a service station or
with an inexpensive tester avail
able at many stores. A rating of
minus-40 degrees Fahrenheit is
good. If you need to add anti
freeze, follow the directions on
the can, and run the engine for
several minutes to allow circula
tion before re-testing.
Obviously, mud and snow tires
are advised for winter driving.
But if your vehicle has rear-wheel
drive and radial tires on the front,
you should put ony radial tires on
the rear. Because of the differen
ces in flexing during operation,
radial tires can cause dangerous
steering if bias-ply tires are on
the rear. Radial tires, however,
are safe on the rear of a vehicle
with front bias-ply tires. Today,
there is some disagreement in the
industry regarding this, but gen
erally, the rule still holds.
How about the life-blood of
your vehicle? (No, not the ster
eo!) The important link that
makes it all happen: Yes, the
motor and all its belongings. What
kind of belongings? Electricalig
nition and carburetion systems,
primarily. Assuming the engine is
in good operating conditon, it
depends on these two systems to
transport you to your destination.
Winter is the season that sees
the failure of most vehicles that
are in need of a tune-up or car
buretor and automatic choke ad
justments. Such adjustments can
be made inexpensively at most
service stations and garages.
The big item, and perhaps the
most important, is your vehicle's
battery. If the battery is marginal
in performance now, then you
have two options: Leave it as it is
and hope it will not fail you dur
ing the winter, or set your mind
at ease by replacing it with a
fresh, new battery. If ignition and
carburetion are not in perfect
turn, then the battery will have to
work harder every time it turns
over and start3 a cold, stiff engine.
If the battery spins the
engine a few seconds and then
begins losing power, trouble is
ahead, because the engine must
start immediately or the battery
will not be able to spin it fast
enough to start. '
Service stations can test the
performance of batteries, but you
can usually sense through nor
mal usage if a change is war
ranted. Batteries typically cost
between $35 and $80, and, exclud
ing one or two overrated brands,
you get what you pay for. Don't
skimp on this vital component,
unless you plan on trading the
vehicle soon. Batteries are rated
in cold cranking amps (CCA),
and the higher the figure, the bet
ter. Mid- and full-size vehicles
need a minimum of 500 CCA, and
compacts require the highest rat
ing available.
For many, the purchase of a
new battery can be a major finan
cial burden, but being stranded
on some deserted road on a dark,
cold night because of a dead bat
tery is, to say the least, undesira
ble. If shopping for jumper cables,
again do not put price ahead of
quality. If you have an emergency,
you need and depend on them.
They must be large enough to
fully transmit all the power the
jumper battery can put out. Look
for a numerical gauge of 6 or
lower. The jumper cables I have
are four-gauge, and cost $32.95.
They have been used numerous
times and have never failed.
There are numerous other rou
tine maintenance tips one could
bring up. It would be beneficial to
move into winter with a fresh oil
change. For periods of prolonged
near- or sub-zero weather, adding
gas line antifreeze is advisable, and
keeping the tires properly inflated
is always recommended.
Ope last suggestion to
help make winter driving safer:
Carry some extra clothing in your
vehicle during the winter. Cove
ralls, sweatshirts, mittens, old
coats and boots are all good choi
ces. It doesn't matter how new or
old they are, or how good or bad
they look: If you should get
stranded extra clothing can be
the difference between getting
somewhere for help and becom
ing another "statistic" of winter
weather.
Dangers hinder helpers
Helping a fellow driver who
is stuck or whose car will not
start may be a good gesture,
but there are hidden dangers
that you should be aware of
and precautions that you
should follow.
When jump-starting a dead
battery, always attach the
jumper cables to the car to be
started first, then the running
car. Never lean over the engine
when jump-starting. If , either
battery is leaking gases, a spark
can cause the battery to ex
plode. When the car starts, re
move the cables immediately.
A car stuck in snow or on ice
with free spinning tires should
be approached with caution.
Although it is rare, a tire in this
situation can explode. Usually
this occurs when the tire is
extremely worn.
When stuck on ice, putting
the car in drive and reverse to
rock the car back and forth
will help gain traction. Trac
tion mats, salt, sand or any
abrasive sprinkled around the
tires also will help.
A A 9.
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