Jan 12
22
Avoiding Winter Emergencies
Winter is officially here. Snow is beginning to blanket the higher elevations around Eugene, turning the hills, ridges and crags into a stunningly beautiful Winter Wonderland. Area snow parks will soon be brimming with recreating revellers indulging in 4-wheeling, snow shoeing, skiing and more. However, that beauty can conceal dangers for travellers that don’t exist during warmer seasons.
We won’t get into a winter weather survival discussion, but I can offer you some common sense tips that can make your trip, long or short, as safe and uneventful as possible.
Weather and Road Conditions Awareness
Make being aware of the weather and its impact on your planned route your first priority. Gather as much pre-trip info on expected conditions as possible. A satellite view of the area you’re travelling through is always a good idea. Add to that a Weather.com report for the closest cities or towns along the way, while adjusting an average of 3-4° Farenheit drop in temperature per 1000 feet rise in elevation. (Please note that formula is merely an approximation. Actual temperature drops can vary according to a number of atmospheric factors.)Then, don’t bank on the exact accuracy of those reports. It IS the weather, after all. It can change pretty quickly, especially around here.
Preparation
Regardless of whether your trip is a short or extended one, you should always have an emergency kit with you, and keep it easily accessible.Personal Items
Here are the emergency kit must-haves:
1. Mylar space blankets (1 for each person, or a minimum of 2)
2. Water
3. High-protein, high-caloric food (think body builder bars)
4. A decent first aid kit
5. Cell phoneThese are recommended for longer trips or trips that involve travel through remote areas:
1. Nylon rope or cord
2. A sharp pocket or hunting knife, camp tool and/or Swiss Army knife
3. A fire starting kit (kitchen matches with a couple bundles of dryer lint in a zip lock bag will do)
4. A roll of toilet paper (hey, it happens)If you are travelling with infants or small children, ALWAYS bring more food/snacks, drinks, diapers, formula, etc. than you realistically think you need.
An extra layer of warm clothing and/or a couple of really warm blankets can be really good to have on hand for those lesser or brief emergencies.
If anyone takes prescription drugs, make sure you have enough for an extra day or two.
Make sure someone knows your planned route and ETA. It’s best to put it in writing so there is no confusion. This is especially applicable for longer trips, but we have all heard on the news of how even shorter trips turned into tragedy. Also, on long trips keep someone periodically informed of your progress.
Auto Items
You should always carry a few auto emergency items in addition to your personal emergency kit. These are:
1. Jumper cables
2. Fix-a-Flat
3. HELP sign
4. A gallon of water for the car
5. FlaresAlso, make sure your jack and spare tire are in good order.
Your vehicle possesses some of the more preventable causes of winter weather emergencies. Below are the recommended checks:
1. Anti-freeze – check your mix with a tester. A 50/50 blend is sufficient for the valley and all but extreme conditions found at high elevations, northern plains or in especially bad weather. If you don’t have a tester, you can get one at any auto parts outlet, or we’ll check it for you.
2. Battery and charging system – cold weather is tough on car batteries, and it’s not much fun getting stranded due to a dead battery. We will gladly check yours to make sure it’s in optimal shape.
3. Oil and filter – an engine sustains less damage in cold start conditions if the oil is as clean as possible. It’s best to follow your manufacturer’s recommendations on type and frequency of change.
4. Tire treads – deeper treads grip and shed pack better than shallow treads. You get better traction and as a result improved safety. If you’re not sure how healthy your tread depth is, bring it in and we’ll check it.
5. Wiper blades – visibility is vital. Make sure your wiper blades are in top condition. If not, they are cheap and easy to replace yourself. Also, adding some de-icer to your washer fluid and treating all the windows and windshields with Rain-X will greatly reduce the amount of frost and ice you have to scrape. Just follow directions on the bottle. (Note: Be absolutely sure your windows are CLEAN before applying the Rain-X or you will have a mess.) It can take a couple of attempts to get it right if you’ve not done it before.
6. Vehicle lighting – inspect all your car’s lights: headlights, taillights, signal lights, fog/running lights, and even interior lights. It can be a good idea to carry a couple of spare bulbs and fuses. The most critical would of course be for headlights and taillights.
7. Belts and hoses – hopefully you’ve already had these checked recently, but if you haven’t this is the time to do so. It would be frustrating at best to get stranded on your trip due to a $10 belt or hose.
8. Cabin air filter – after the extra wet summer we had combined with our typically wet fall and now running the car’s heat on ‘high’ the cabin air filter can become a microbial breeding ground “broadcasting” into the interiors of our cars. It’s a good time to change the filters if you haven’t done so in the past year.
9. Paint and finish – winter mud and snow, plus salt, sand or crushed lava, can be terrible on your car’s exterior. Protect it with regular washing and a quality wax. When washing, don’t forget the under carriage and wheel wells where salt, sand and crushed lava rock can build up and/or corrode.
10. Brakes – also when washing hose out the brakes. The accumulation of sand and lava particulates can abrade and reduce the life of your brake system components.
That pretty much wraps up the info needed to help make your winter car travel safer and more pleasant.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your car, just call or come by. That’s what we’re here for.
– Jud and the Absolute Automotive crew
Posted in Auto Repair Eugene Car Care Tips by .
