Winter weather and road conditions can wreak havoc on everything from your exterior paint, to your tire tread, to the fluids fueling your vehicle. But once outside temperatures start rising, the slush melts, the road salt washes away, and those looming snowbanks turn to sad, dirty little snowballs. There’s no better time to give your car a thorough spring cleaning and show it a bit of extra TLC to refresh and ready it for the sunny days ahead.
What vehicle maintenance tasks are the most important to perform heading into spring? Make sure to tackle these key steps so you don’t run into problems later in the season!
Spring Clean Your Exterior From Top to Bottom
You already know your car’s exterior needs a serious spring cleaning – but once winter starts winding down, your vehicle is going to require more than just a basic wash and wax. This is your opportunity to scrub away all of the road grime, salt, sand, and other deposits that have built up over the past few months.
Give the exterior a thorough wash, and check the paint for signs of scratches or other damage. Scrub the bottoms of your doors (which can collect a lot of winter grime), and get inside the window channels, too.
Once you’ve soaped up, rinsed, and dried your exterior, you’ll want to apply a coat of protective paste or liquid wax. You can also add a silicone spray to repel dirt, particularly when it comes to areas like your windows.
And don’t forget about your car’s undercarriage, either. Winter road conditions can coat everything on the underside of the vehicle with grime, salt, and other corrosion-causing materials. This can lead to rust and long-term damage (like holes in your vehicle’s frame), so be sure to thoroughly wash away any buildups or lingering debris and grime.
Flush Out Your Engine and Fuel System
Pop the hood, because all of the critical components underneath your car’s exterior are also in need of a good spring clean.
The innermost parts of your vehicle can take quite a beating during winter, with freezing temps causing deposits, buildups, or low fluid levels. While you should definitely make a point to perform your regular vehicle maintenance, like topping off any low fluids such as oil and wiper fluid, you’ll also want to clean out any lingering deposits in your engine or fuel tank.
You can flush out deposits by adding an engine treatment solution or a fuel cleaner. These can eliminate any moisture, clear and flush away deposits, and get vehicles that have been sitting in storage moving smoothly once again.
Pop the Hood and Inspect Hoses and Belts
Although winter is full of wet, icy weather, it can still cause critical rubber components to dry out, crack, and become damaged.
Freezing temperatures can damage your hoses and belts under the hood, so make sure to give them a close inspection during your springtime vehicle maintenance process. The last thing you want is for these components to fail you while on the road.
Look for worn or cracking areas that may signal it’s time to replace parts. And don’t overlook smaller rubber pieces, like gaskets and seals. When these become worn, dry, or cracked, they can start to leak.
You’ll also want to examine your battery terminals, which can develop corrosion (especially if your vehicle was in storage with the battery still in place, all season long).
Rotate, Realign, or Replace Your Tires
If you swapped out your tires for winter ones before the first snowfall, it’s time to head back to the shop – you’ll want to get summer or all-season tires back on your ride.
Remember, snow tires are designed for different road conditions, and they can get pretty worn if you live in an area with harsh weather. That means you don’t want to run the risk of driving on weaker, tread-worn tires when you’re facing spring rainstorms and summer heat.
Don’t need to replace your tires? You should still give them a checkup as part of your spring car care routine. As long as there’s no cracking or other serious damage, this is a great time to rotate your tires or have them realigned. Heavy snow and ice can beat up your tires and mess with their alignment, so use the warmer weather as a reason to get back in shape.
Give Your Interior A Thorough Detail
If you’ve taken a look at the floor of your vehicle lately, you probably already know how badly it needs a thorough interior detail. Even if you use rugged floor mats, all of the dirt and grime that collects on the exterior of your car also gets tracked inside. Your shoes and boots pick up everything from loose debris to mud to salt and dirt… and that all winds up ground into your carpeting or floor mats.
Take the time to perform a top-to-bottom interior detail as part of your spring vehicle maintenance. You’ll want to clean the carpets and mats (and consider a sturdier upgrade), give the seats a wipe down, and dust and clean everything from the dash to the door handles to the steering wheel.
Perform Close, Careful Maintenance on Stored Vehicles
Lastly, if you’re taking any vehicles out of storage heading into spring, you’ll want to perform all of the maintenance mentioned above – plus a few extra steps.
As noted, you’ll want to make sure to check under the hood for signs of corrosion or damage on the battery, gaskets, seals, hoses, and belts. You’ll also want to perform your usual maintenance checkups, like fluid levels and topping off where needed.
But you’ll also want to look for signs of common winter woes, such as:
- Damaged wires, which can be a favorite of sneaky pests
- Rust and moisture inside the engine
- Water that’s been pulled into the engine oil
- Old, gunked-up fuel
- Dried and cracked rubber components
- Sludge or corrosion within the brake lines
Checking well under the hood and undercarriage can help you spot any potential problems – or would-be problems – well before you hit the road once again. With some springtime TLC, you’ll have no issue getting your engine up and running!