A Touch of Winter | New Freedom Auto Care

Meineke Car Care Center on Second Street in New Freedom is the place to go to get your car ready to cope with winter's chill.

If you hadn't thought that winter is on its way, the local weather is doing its best to remind you. Not only have daytime temperatures dropped from summer's highs, but, by mid-week,overnight temperatures will go down almost to freeing.

It's a warning to pull your sweaters and coats out of storage. It's also a reminder that it's time to make sure your car has survived the summer and is ready for the hardships of winter.

"Our modern cars come equipped with remote start, heated seats and superior safety ratings, but we are told time and time again to winterize them. Aren’t they prepared to survive in the cold weather already? Can’t we merely maintain them instead?" dirtlegal.com asks. "The bottom line is that the season shouldn’t matter. You always need to take care of your vehicle whether it’s winter or summer. With that said, there are still some things you’ll want to do to ensure everything runs smoothly in wintertime."

Among those chores are checking the fluids - oil, coolant and window washer fluid. You also want to check your battery. Cold weather is well known for killing batteries. You also want to check the pressure in your tires because cold weather will make the pressure drop.

As for the tires themselves, you need to decide if you're going to put winter tires on your car or not.

Dirtlegal.com explains: "If you plan to drive in winter weather, you might want to consider snow tires. Running a high-performance summer tire in the winter will make your life extremely difficult. Snow tires provide you with the extra traction you need, but you need to take them off as soon as the weather turns warm again. They aren’t meant to be driven on year-round and will have reduced tread life compared to a standard tire.

"The better option for most people is to run an all-season tire. These are suitable in winter or summer and you won’t need to change them out each season. We aren’t going to cover tire chains or spiked tires in this article – those are reserved for extreme snow and ice conditions found at high altitudes and high latitudes."

If you're not sure what's best for you and your car, you need to have a talk with your trusted tire technician at your Meineke Car Center. Your Meineke tire specialist can help you decide what's best for you, your car, your driving style and your wallet.

Locally owned, Meineke offers a full range of car care and car repair services ranging from complicated services such as engine rebuilds to simple auto care chores like oil changes and tire rotation. Meineke also carries a full range of tires to fit any vehicle, driving style or driving need.

We have 13 locations in south-central Pennsylvania to serve you: