Car driving on country road. Autumn scene, low angle, motion blur.
In a few short weeks, we will be celebrating Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. The summer months might be coming to a close, but autumn offers a number of fantastic options in its own right: apple cider, Halloween, and, of course, the return of football. Depending on where you live, there might be some significant weather changes as well. Your automobile can be subject to the elements, which may hinder performance and safety. Before the weather cools down, here are several ways you can get your automobile ready for the cooler and sometimes wetter autumn months.
Check Your Lights to Make Sure They Are in Full Working Order: The clocks roll back towards the end of September. This means the days will get shorter, making lighting more crucial for your overall safety. Be sure to check your headlights, taillights, parking lights, brake lights and emergency flashers to confirm that they are in full working order. If they are older, you might want to consider updating them so you can rest assured they won’t fail in the middle of the night. Plus, having your lights in working order when needed can save you from a ticket.
Have Your Battery Checked: One of the most common issues in the cooler months is battery problems. A battery needs to be fully charged to start up when it gets colder outside. Therefore, you should get it checked out by a technician to ensure that it will fire up even it is borderline-freezing outside.
Examine Your Tires and Brakes: The autumn months can be wetter than the summer months in many areas. Automobiles require additional safety features to ensure that they can stop quickly and safely on wet roads. You can easily make sure your tires and brakes are in full working order by visiting a certified shop. Did you know that tire pressure drops when the temperatures cool? A technician will check the tires for thread, tire pressure, etc. and make recommendations on those findings. A technician can check the brakes as well to make sure they are in full working order and can handle the demands of autumn weather in your region.
In addition to maintenance and repairs, also keep others things in mind related to your car like insurance and registration expiration. Your insurance provider will usually send you notification that you need to renew your policy and some counties DMVs, RMVs, or MVDs issue renewal reminders about registration expiration. If you have renewed in the past with eTags.com, you will receive a reminder when your registration is due. If not, you can check your registration card or certificate to see when it expires. If it’s any time in the next couple of months, you might want to renew sooner rather than later before autumn leads into the busy holiday season.