Winter weather car care & a $50 giveaway with Sears Auto Center!

"This is a sponsored post, I am a Sears blogger, though all opinions are my own."

As a part of the #SACRoadWarriors team, I have had the opportunity to get a more in-depth look at maintaining my vehicle. I recently had my last trip to a Sears Auto Center as a part of the SACRoadWarriors crew and am a bit sad that the experience is over.  Everyone at my local Sears Auto Center were very patient and thorough as they explained the different elements involved in properly maintaining a vehicle.  I've learned so much and am certain that there are still a lot of things that I should learn about car care.

This month's trip focused on wipers, batteries and not letting the harsh winter weather ruin your vehicle.

Batteries 101

Did you know that there are several types of batteries, and which battery your vehicle will have depends on the vehicle and the batteries usage?

• Starting Batteries: these batteries are typically found in your car, as they are designed to deliver a large amount of charge for a short period of time – the charge needed to start your car. Once the engine is running, the alternator provides all the power the car needs, so your car battery may never be drained below 20% of its total capacity. Starting batteries are not designed to be fully discharged.
• Deep Cycle Batteries: designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time, though they can provide a surge when needed. Deep cycle batteries are also designed to be deeply discharged over and over again, whereas repetitive deep discharge would rapidly kill a starting battery. Deep cycle batteries are commonly found in marine vehicles and small four-wheel vehicles such as golf carts.
• Dual Purpose Batteries: designed for vehicles which require both cranking and light deep cycling, these batteries offer a compromise between the two.

Your every-day use vehicles such as vans and sedans will have a Starting Battery whereas an RV would require a Deep Cycle Battery.

Am I the only one that has always been terrified by the car battery?  If I have ever needed to have my car "jumped" - I've been terrified of placing the wrong cables to the wrong terminals.  We have a portable jump starter that was kept in my previous (old) vehicle.  If I needed to jump the car, I would make several phone calls before braving up and getting everything connected.  The crew at the Sears Auto Center reviewed with me the proper way to connect the cables and the results if not done correctly.

Wiper Blades

Believe it or not, the wiper blades on a vehicle can cause me to love or hate that vehicle (for the moment anyway).  I hate driving a vehicle with poorly maintained wiper blades.  I thought that perhaps I was just a very picky driver in wanting my wiper blades replaced often.  But I found out on this trip that it is recommended to change them every six months!  As picky as I am, I wasn't changing them often enough.  And hey, it's easy to!  So do it!  

90% of our driving decisions are made based solely on visual information, yet one out of every five vehicles on the road have deficient windshield wipers. After a winter of snow, sleet and ice, spring is the perfect time to replace your wiper blades, which should be checked regularly and replaced every six months. Wiper blades that no longer make proper contact with the windshield surface can significantly impair your visibility as they streak, smear, chatter, skip and squeak.

You should check your wiper blades often to see if they need to be replaced.  A few things to check for are:

• Broken frame, or detachment of frame arms at joints or connection points
• Metal corrosion, especially at joints and claws
• Visible cracks, tears and missing pieces in the rubber squeegee’s edge
• Difficulty flexing rubber squeegee. Squeegees should flex back and forth in order to properly conform to the shape of your windshield. Aged squeegees with difficulty flexing will create streaks
• Rounded squeegee edges which can prevent the wiper blade from making strong contact with the windshield and reduce wipe quality
• Loose wiper blades. Tug to ensure the wiper blade has been securely installed on the wiper arm
• Secure squeegee. Check that the squeegee is secure in the wiper frame

Winter Weather

Ice, snow, salt, frigid temps and uneven pavement will play havoc with your vehicle! While at the Sears Auto Center, a vehicle was towed in that had a lot of damage from a seemingly invisible element.  Corrosion.  Corrosion likely caused by harsh weather and the ways in which it effects our roads and how we deal with icy road ways.

Problems you may encounter in winter weather:

Misalignment and damaged shocks and struts: Winter brings a constant cycle of freezing and thawing, as well as salt and other chemicals designed to melt the snow and ice. This combination can lead to cracks and gaping potholes in the road. Have your car’s steering and suspension system checked to make sure your shocks and struts haven’t been damaged by uneven road conditions. Your alignment can also be affected by potholes.

Failing batteries: Cold weather has a way of seeping energy from batteries, leaving you without the ability to start your car when you need it the most. AAA reports a 300 percent increase in the amount of battery-related calls once winter rolls around. That’s no coincidence.

Low tire pressure: Cold temperatures cause tire pressure to drop, leaving you vulnerable on the road.

Bad wipers or windshield wiper fluid: One of the most significant aspects of driving safety is your ability to see the road clearly.

Frozen gas lines: Keeping gas in your car makes more sense during winter than any other time of year.

The vehicle that came in during my visit could have benefited from a thorough check of the car's undercarriage. An inspection would have shown that the vehicle had wear and tear likely from the elements.

Before you hit the roads this winter, bring your car into your local Sears Auto Center for a free multi-point inspection.

Giveaway

Sears Auto Center has provided me with a $50 Gift Card to giveaway! This gift card can be used at Sears or Sears Auto Center.

How to Enter: Simply leave a comment below about something you learned from this post or one of the links to all of the wonderful information Sears Auto Center offers.

Winner will be notified by e-mail. So, I must have a way of finding your e-mail address or please provide it below. If I can not contact you, another winner will be chosen.

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Why you should check your engine fluids & a $50 giveaway with Sears Auto Center!

"This is a sponsored post, I am a Sears blogger, though all opinions are my own."

I am going to be painfully and embarrassingly honest. I completely destroyed my first vehicle because I did not understand anything about vehicle fluids. I knew enough to put fuel into the tank. Yet, after that, I knew nothing. So, my first vehicle had a shorter life than it should have had.

As a part of the #SACRoadWarriors team, I have the opportunity to get a more in-depth look at vehicle maintenance. I had a great time visiting Sears Auto Center last week and getting an in-depth explanation of all the fluids your engine needs and why it needs them. I usually leave all of our vehicle maintenance up to Dan. I don't really have the time for it and he enjoys keeping vehicle records, checking different levels of this and that, making his spreadsheet, etc... I appreciate him for doing all of this. I would rather focus on the driving and traveling done with the vehicles. But my trip to Sears Auto Center was eye-opening. I need to pay more attention to the needs of the vehicle that I cart my family around in. I need to take care of it. When you think about it, we pay a lot of money for vehicles and put a lot of precious cargo in it daily. So, it only makes sense! Let's get to learning about engine fluids!

What’s the Deal with Differential Fluid?

That was the first question of the day. Say what? I have no idea! But, apparently, something is... different?? Well, it turns out that Differential Fluid is what keeps your Differential running smoothly and properly.

The Differential is a part of the Drivetrain and helps to evenly distribute power between each of your vehicle's wheels. As you take a turn, each wheel will have a different distance in which to turn and travel - hence the 'differential'. The fluids which keep this operating smoothly are very often overlooked. In my case, I'm not sure I had ever even heard the term "Differential Fluids". I knew what the Drivetrain was and the Differential but never knew to check the specific fluids that are required for that portion of the vehicle.

Transmission Fluid: The Other Dipstick

I'm happy to say that I did know about Transmission Fluid. Yet, I admit that I have never given much thought to checking or changing it. Since having killed my first car, I do know to check the motor oil. However, checking the other dipstick never crosses my mind.

The Transmission Fluid lubricates and cools your transmissions internal parts which helps the gears to smoothly shift and prevent damage. If not properly maintained, you can damage your transmission and that can will be an expensive part to replace.

Did you know: Transmission fluid also acts as the hydraulic fluid needed to power your vehicle.

Depending on the age of a vehicle, it may be difficult to quickly locate the Transmission Fluid dipstick. Do you think it is easily found on the vehicle below?

What's the difference between Coolant and Anti-Freeze?

Oh, trick question! They sound like extreme opposites, don't they? They are, in fact, the same exact thing. Depending on what time of year it is - you'll call it by a different name. Summer, call it Coolant. Winter, call it Anti-Freeze.

Coolant. Antifreeze. Radiator fluid. While each of these terms may sound very different, the fact is they all describe the same fluids that are critical to keeping your vehicle and its cooling system hydrated. Given its importance, one would think vehicle owners would carefully monitor and maintain the levels and quality of this fluid in their cars and trucks. However, the U.S. Department of Transportation claims that one of the leading causes of breakdowns on our highways is mechanical failures within vehicle cooling systems.

This, this fluid was the undoing of my first vehicle. The coolant/anti-freeze! I don't even want to begin explaining how much I didn't know about car care when I was 17 years old. But I will say this. Water is not the same thing and does not do the same job as coolant! It just doesn't.

It's also important to maintain your fuel system! To ensure your fuel system continues to operate effectively, consult your vehicle manufacturer service guide for recommended fuel system cleaning intervals

I can't wait for the next trip to my local Sears Auto Center! They've been a great help in teaching me how to maintain various aspects of my vehicle and I can't wait to see what they teach me in January. Stay tuned!

Remember to take a glance at that very important book which is probably getting dusty in your glove compartment. It will let you know the recommendations for fluid changes on your specific vehicle. Need to schedule an appointment at Sears Auto to have your fluids checked? Click here to get started!

12 Days of Car Care!

Keep an eye on the Sears Auto Facebook page and website for exclusive deals on Road Handler tires and Valvoline oil changes during the 12 Days of Car Care promotion from December 13, 2014 - December 24, 2014!

Giveaway

Sears Auto Center has provided me with a $50 Gift Card to giveaway! This gift card can be used at Sears or Sears Auto Center.

How to Enter: Simply leave a comment below about something you learned from this post or one of the links to all of the wonderful information Sears Auto Center offers.

Winner will be notified by e-mail. So, I must have a way of finding your e-mail address or please provide it below. If I can not contact you, another winner will be chosen.

SHARE THIS:

LEAVE A COMMENT

Tire Maintenance & $50 Giveaway with Sears Auto Center!

"This is a sponsored post, I am a Sears blogger, though all opinions are my own."

Though I love vehicles - driving them,admiring them, talking about them - there is a lot of information that I simply don't know. I thought I knew about tire maintenance, until a recent trip to Sears Auto Center. There's an entire world around tires, how to care for them and how to choose them. Since I do a lot of traveling - I'm extremely grateful for finally having all of this explained to me.

I'm loving being a part of the #SACRoadWarriors team and getting to spend time with the crew at my local Sears Auto Center. They have been amazing and on my first trip walked me through their Vehicle Intake process and the necessities of tire maintenance. When you bring your vehicle to Sears Auto Center, they will perform a Courtesy Inspection - courtesy means it's free! During the Courtesy Inspection they will check things such as belts and hoses, fluids, filters, tire wear and tear amongst other things.

Now, here is where I learned that tire maintenance is far more extensive than most of us know.  Tires are such a critical part of your vehicle and maintaining them properly is a must.  I knew that I should check the air pressure in my tires and have them rotated (about every 5,000 miles) and that they should generally look as if they are in good condition.

Signs of an impending blowout can include:

• Bulges in the tire
• Cracking in the sidewall of the tire
• Low/no tread. Tread is lower than 2/32 of an inch deep.
• Incorrect tire pressure

Did you know that where you live can play a large role in how you maintain your tires?  Here, in Indiana, the weather is cold, them warm, then oh so humid - this does a number on your tires and can cause pressure to fluctuate.

There are many other things to check when maintaining your tires. I never knew there was a difference in the tires between my sedan and my mini-van. They need different size tires for different purposes.  Every tire that is produced, has an intended purpose.  It's made for a specific type of vehicle and conditions.  Your vehicle's manual will let you know what size of tire it requires.  The tires will have its size printed on its sidewall.  The Sear's Tire Size Decoded information is very helpful in finding out if you have the right tires!  On a side note, I did know that large trucks needed different tires than my sedan - so, I guess I wasn't completely in the dark.   

 Here in Indiana, winter is on its way.  This means that you need to check the tread on your tire and perhaps even buy winter tires.  Did you that it's possible to buy your snow tires too early and wear the tread down too fast that way?  See, so much to know!

All-season tires are built to handle a variety of weather conditions, everything from dry roads to wet roads and light snow. However, the rubber with which all-season tires are made is not intended to withstand extreme cold. All-season tires can harden in low temperatures, lessening the traction between your tires and the road.

Winter tires, on the other hand, use special rubber compounds that stay pliable in the cold to give them better grip and improved braking capabilities, even in extreme conditions. Also called snow tires, winter tires are built specifically to perform in winter conditions like severe cold, ice, slush and snow. They use siping, a series of slits in the tread, to increase the number of edges that make contact with the ground. Greater tread depth allows for flexing and helps channel snow and slush across the tire’s surface, away from the contact patch.

Giveaway

Sears Auto Center has provided me with a $50 Gift Card to giveaway! This gift card can be used at Sears or Sears Auto Center.

How to Enter: Simply leave a comment below about something you learned from this post or one of the links to all of the wonderful information Sears Auto Center offers.


Winner will be notified by e-mail. So, I must have a way of finding your e-mail address or please provide it below. If I can not contact you, another winner will be chosen.

SHARE THIS:

LEAVE A COMMENT