Summer is here!
All of the sun, heat and blue skies that we’ve been waiting for since last November have finally arrived in full force – but some of us aren’t headed for the beach. The open road beckons to the drivers of the world, and summer is the pinnacle of showing off your warm weather wheels – whether that be your classic convertible, your muscle car hot rod, a beautifully restored luxury sedan, or the family minivan without food smeared on the seats.
Whatever your taste, the sunshine makes all true drivers wax poetic when preparing their vehicles for the blacktop. There’s lots to think about, from changing oil and tires, to maintaining your AC unit, convertible top, and waxing the paint. There’s a sense of ritual about summer time driving, and in this post we’ll divulge our top summer preparations for your vehicle.
Changing Tires and Rims
This is usually first on the list of many people when the weather begins to turn around in the springtime. Await the last snowfall and make a good judgement call on when to change your snow tires back to your all-seasons or summers. You’ll experience an improved ride quality, reduced road noise, better fuel economy, and an improved overall aesthetic.
This is also a great time to assess the state of your tires and the wear and tear they’ve absorbed over the last few seasons. If you observe that the tread pattern is wearing unevenly on the drive tires, or on the sides of the tread, that could mean that your tires were under/over inflated last time you used them. Alternatively, you could use a realignment, or a tire-balance.
Checking the tires before putting them back on is a great preventative measure against blow-out’s and flats, and helps to reduce the likelihood of an accident on the road. This seasonal change over is also a good time to check out the state of your brakes when you have the tires off the car, or when you have the change completed by a local mechanic. Simply ask them to do a point inspection on your tires and brakes.
The Tune Up
For many driver’s spring and summer means taking the time to extract every last ounce of performance and efficiency from your vehicle. Warm weather comes with a distinct sense of renewal and revitalization, and completing a tune up on your vehicle is part and parcel to the summer driving experience. At your local dealership or mechanics shop, ask them to inspect, change or top up:
- Power steering fluid
- Coolant
- Oil/filter change
- Automatic transmission fluid
- Brake fluid
- Air conditioning
Opting to prep your vehicle by covering these general maintenance points will not only improve your summer enjoyment of the vehicle, but it will inevitably prolong the life of your vehicle as well.
The Cleanse
Fresh and clean is the name of the game for summer. Take the time to thoroughly clean, shampoo, vacuum and polish the vehicle inside and out for an intoxicating feeling or renewal and pride of ownership; there’s nothing quite like driving a perfectly spotless vehicle.
This is the perfect time to treat and protect your leather seats, have fabric upholstery steam-cleaned, wash and wax your car’s paint job, apply some tire-shine and vacuum an entire winter’s worth of grime and buildup from the trunk and under the seats. Additionally, if you have a rag-top convertible, this is the perfect time to treat and protect your convertible top for the next few months of use. Protecting vinyl or leather that will be in the sunshine will prolong the life of your roof.
Fix it Up
Little accidents happen throughout the winter and fall season that we’re all guilty of putting off until spring and summer. Little bumps and fender benders sustained due to slippery roads or grocery-store parking lot mishaps happen – and summer is an excellent opportunity to replace that cracked taillight or repair the chip of paint on the hood.
This could mean replacing a piece of door trim lost in the fray, replacing a rear window wiper motor that broke when wiping away a few inches of hardened snow and ice, or just replacing the antenna from the last time you took the canoe off the roof rack. While you’re giving your vehicle this seasonal once-over, it’s the perfect time to get it back to 100% – it’s a much more satisfying drive when you don’t have to deal with the rattle or bang that’s developed over the last couple months.
Eagle Ridge GM – Coquitlam, British Columbia
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