How to Prep Your Hyundai for Winter

After enduring a sweltering summer, many people in the Auburn, Alabama, area are looking forward to the wintertime. They’ll finally get a chance to cool off a little bit after dealing with multiple heat waves all summer long.

Before winter officially starts next month, though, it’s going to be essential for you to prepare for the cooler weather accordingly. One of the critical things you’ll need to do is learn how to prep your Hyundai for winter.

Our team here at Hyundai of Auburn has put together some steps you should take to ensure your Hyundai is ready to go once the winter weather hits.

Schedule Service

Change the Oil

It’s essential to change the oil in your Hyundai regularly throughout the year. You never want to get caught driving around in a Hyundai with oil that’s entirely too old since it could cause a host of complications.

But it’s going to be particularly important to change your oil sometime right before the start of winter. Because once the temperature begins to drop, it can become difficult for your car to circulate oil that’s on the older side. You can keep oil flowing through your engine by booking an oil change when you’re figuring out how to prep your Hyundai for winter.

Add Antifreeze

The antifreeze in your Hyundai has now spent the whole summer helping your vehicle avoid overheating. As a result, you might need to add some antifreeze to your Hyundai to ensure that you have plenty of it.

Antifreeze plays a crucial role in keeping your car’s engine warm in the wintertime. So, you don’t want to put yourself in a position where you’re driving around in your Hyundai with little to no antifreeze left.

Outside of adding antifreeze to your car every so often, you should also look into replacing the antifreeze either every 30,000 miles or every three to five years, depending on which comes first.

Replace the Tires

If the tires on your Hyundai are still on the newer side, you shouldn’t have to be concerned about replacing them before the start of winter. Most car tires will last for at least five years before you need to replace them. So, the only thing you’ll need to do when winter starts is to ensure your newish tires have enough air in them.

However, if your tires have some wear and tear, you should consider replacing them with new tires. You can conduct this simple “quarter test” to see whether or not your tires have enough tread left on them. If they don’t, replacing them with new tires should move to the top of your to-do list.

You can search for the right tires for your specific Hyundai by visiting the Hyundai Tire Center and providing some information about your vehicle.

Check the Battery

The last thing you want to happen this winter is to get stranded somewhere in your Hyundai because of a dead battery. But that could happen if you’re driving around in a car with an older battery.

Most car batteries will only last for between three and five years. After that, you’ll need to replace your car battery to reduce the chances of it dying on you at the worst possible time.

You should take a look at your car battery to see if you can spot any signs of trouble ahead of the winter season. You should also consider how old it is and replace your car battery if it’s getting up there in age.

Test the Heat

The good news for those who live in Auburn, Alabama, or any of the surrounding areas is that it doesn’t get too terribly cold in the wintertime. Temperatures will likely stay above freezing in most cases, even in the dead of January and February.

But even still, you don’t want to get stuck driving around in a Hyundai that doesn’t have a fully functioning heating system. It would be well worth putting your heating system to the test during the fall to see that it works.

If you don’t get the sense that your vehicle is producing enough warm air to heat up your car, you should address this situation long before winter arrives. It’ll guarantee that you can keep the inside of your car nice and toasty all winter long.

Create a Winter Emergency Kit

No matter how diligent you are about prepping your Hyundai for winter, there will always be a slight chance that your vehicle could break down at some point. If it does, you should see to it that you’re prepared for this situation by sticking a winter emergency kit in your car.

This winter emergency kit should include:

• Warm gloves.
• Heavy blankets.
• Winter boots.
• Ice scraper.
• Snow shovel.
• Sand/kitty litter (just in case you encounter any slippery roads).
• Battery jumper cables.
• Cell phone charger.
• First-aid kit.

Ideally, you won’t have to worry about pulling this winter emergency kit out at any point this winter. But just in case you find yourself stranded somewhere in your Hyundai, it would be nice to know that you can keep yourself comfortable until help arrives.

Let Us Help You Figure Out How To Prep Your Hyundai for Winter

Do you need help getting your car ready for the cold winter ahead? If so, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Hyundai of Auburn for help.

Our team of experts can speak with you about how to prep your Hyundai for winter and provide you with the products and services you’ll need to prepare. We can provide you with all the services mentioned above, so if you spot any warning signs in your car, feel free to bring it to us for a check-up. You’ll feel better about taking your Hyundai out on the road this winter once you’ve had it serviced by us.

Schedule a service with us today to ensure your Hyundai is ready to go when the winter gets underway in Auburn, Alabama.

Winter Driving by Matthew Klamert Photos is licensed with Public Domain Mark 1.0