It's Time to Get Your Car Ready for Winter Driving

It's a fact: Cars don't like the cold weather. "All sorts of vehicle ailments tend to occur during the cold weather months. That's why keeping your vehicle properly maintained and tuned is important during the winter season," says Mark Laurito, owner of an ASE-certified auto service center in Rhode Island for more than 20 years.

There's nothing worse than waiting in a freezing cold car for a tow truck to rescue your broken down vehicle or to fix a flat tire. But you can avoid the whole scene with some quick preventive measures. "Over the years, we've seen a number of vehicles break down in the cold weather, leaving their owners waiting for a tow truck in the bitter cold. But in the majority of cases, simple preventive maintenance could have avoided the problem."

Proper car maintenance also is key to staying safe on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), one in eight crashes is attributed to mechanical defects due to neglected vehicle maintenance.

Here are key areas of your vehicle that should be looked at to ensure top working condition during the cold weather:

* Battery and charging system. A battery's power is significantly reduced in freezing weather. If your car battery is older than five years, it may struggle, or not work at all, during cold weather.

* Filters, Coolant and Hoses. All filters - oil, gas and air – need to be in good condition. And if your vehicle's coolant hasn't been changed in two years, the entire coolant system should be flushed and replaced with the appropriate antifreeze, as well as checked for leaking or soft hoses. "Antifreeze is a major culprit of car problems during the winter months," says Laurito. "We had one car where the antifreeze was dirty and only good for temperatures higher than 10 degrees. Winter nights are generally colder than that, so it's important to have the system flushed and new antifreeze added to save on the wear of the radiator."