With harsh weather on the horizon, the experts at Meguiar’s and Prestone have compiled some super easy, cash-saving DIY tips to prep your car for the cold and poor driving conditions ahead!
Mike Pennington, Global Director of Training and Consumer Relations at Meguiar’s, and Colin Dilley, VP of Technology at Prestone, have provided some tips below that will ensure your car is ready to brave the cold and is prepared to keep you safe.
Maximize Visibility
A key factor in maximizing visibility and safety during the winter months is to ensure that drivers can see and be seen. Take a moment to inspect your headlights and taillights. To restore these surfaces and increase optical clarity, use Meguiar’s® Two Step Headlight Restoration Kit. It is a great solution for cleaning your plastic headlights and keeping them looking like new during those chilly months.
Keep Your Windshield Clear
To keep your windshield clear and free of ice build-up, fill your washer fluid reservoir with Prestone® De-Icer™ windshield washer fluid. It helps remove light ice/frost and protects windshields from deep freezes up to -27⁰F/-32⁰C. For year-round protection, top off your windshield washer fluid with Prestone® All Season 3-in-1.
Prevent Permanent Tire Damage
Special attention should be paid to wheel care as the winter months can cause unwanted permanent damage. If you have painted or clear coated wheels a great wheel cleaner to use would be Meguiar’s® Hot Rims Wheel and Tire Cleaner, and don’t forget to consider putting on a good coat of either Meguiar’s® Ultimate Fast Finish or Meguiar’s® Ultimate Liquid Wax to help offer protection, and help shed off dirt and debris quicker. Ultimately, using the right product on the right surface, and in the proper way will help to keep your wheels in great condition so make sure to clearly understand what type of wheels are on your vehicle.
Check Your Cooling System
Inspect your antifreeze/coolant to make sure it is free of debris and contaminants. If you notice an issue, flush and fill your system with a mixture of 50% concentrated antifreeze and 50% distilled water. If your reservoir is low, top off with Prestone® 50/50 Prediluted Antifreeze/Coolant with patented Cor-Guard® corrosion inhibitors. Prestone with Cor-Guard is five times more effective at protecting against corrosion than the leading branded competitor. Next, using a Prestone antifreeze tester, check the concentration of your antifreeze. The ideal mixture is 50% antifreeze and 50% distilled water. If the concentration is low, use Prestone® Concentrate Antifreeze/Coolant with Cor-Guard® to bring your fluid to a 50/50 level.
