As cold weather continues through the winter months, keeping your car maintained can become even more important.
Bud Hughes, the host of WDUN's "Bud's Garage" on Saturday afternoons, says many people don't take the time to make sure their car is properly winterized. He says that can prove to be costly.
"It wasn't until I moved down here from the north that I realized that people would actually not put antifreeze in their cars, wouldn't worry about it at all," Hughes said. "You're going to do damage to the engine and engines are $5,000 and up."
It can also be dangerous, as Hughes says your tires and lights can become especially important in the event of Winter weather. He says most of the time very simple steps can be taken to make sure your car is in working order.
For tires, Hughes says to check your tread. You can insert a cell phone charge cord into the tread and if the small metallic part is visible, it's likely time to replace the tires. He also says it's important to check the air pressure of your tires, especially if your vehicle stays outside.
To keep your electrical systems in check, Hughes says you need to keep tabs on your battery.
"Batteries are maintenance free, so there's not much you can do. Go to a shop and get the battery checked," Hughes said.
Antifreeze, Hughes said, can be checked yourself.
"You can use a little device that you can just suck some of the antifreeze up into and it will tell you the protection of the antifreeze. It will also tell a trained eye what condition the cooling system is in. If it's pretty grungy looking when you pull it out, it may be time to flush the system. Take it to a local shop," Hughes said.
You can hear "Bud's Garage" on AM 550 and FM 102.9 at noon each Saturday.
For video demonstrations of Winter car maintenance, click play on the video above.
