Ball joints are a wearable part, through regular use as well as pot holes and rough road they become loose and no longer function as needed. A loose ball joint affects wheel alignment, tire wear, and your car’s suspension to the point where it may be hard to steer and control the vehicle. Lower control arm ball joints are the pieces of hardware that help keep the wheel attached to the steering wheel. If these fail, then it can cause accidents and be incredibly dangerous. Replace it before it’s too late because you never know when these lower control arm ball joints can fail.

CHECK YOUR BATTERY

Having your battery condion checked could save you time and money. Being stranded is never fun.

USE WINTER TIRES

Winter tires are made to stay flexable in cold weather, summer tires get hard and lose traction, reducing your car’s ablity to stay on the road during winter. It is a good idea to keep an eye on your tread depth, less tread means less traction. You sould also look at your tires build day, anything older than 7 years is not safe to drive on, as the rubber gets hard and weather cracked. The build date can be found on the side of the tire. See us at The Kar Doctor and we can give you an update on your tires condition.

KEEP WASHER FLUID FULL

Replace your windshield wiper fluid often. A single snowstorm can exhaust a large amount of this fluid, so refill the washer reservoir frequently with windshield wiper fluid formulated for winter conditions.

PACK A WINTER SAFETY KIT

Before heading off on a trip, store common tools and supplies in your car in case of an emergency.

KEEP THE GAS TANK AT LEAST HALF FULL

Keeping gas in the tank is more important in winter than in summer. Why? For one thing, a full tank reduces condensation, which can prevent gas line freeze ups. Not only that, but if you’re ever stranded, your engine may be the only thing to keep you warm until help arrives.

LEARN WINTER EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

It’s important to know what to do before you are in an emergency in case you ever get stuck. If you get stuck in a winter storm while driving, do not leave your car for risk of losing sigh of it, do not run your car for long periods of time. Instead, turn it on long enough to stay warm, and then turn it off again to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, as well as to save fuel.