Don’t put off winterizing your car before another McHenry winter arrives

Don’t worry about winterizing the car now; there’s plenty of time. The official start of winter isn’t until Dec. 21. That’s almost three months away. Rather than worry about winterizing the car, think about autumn activities you enjoy every year in and around McHenry, such as an excursion to the apple orchard or to the pumpkin farm. Of course, those are indications of how things could get busy later.

If you consider the possibility that, with the approach of the holidays, you may want to take care of things, such as winterizing the car, at your convenience now. Halloween isn’t so bad but then there’s Thanksgiving. Are you having family over to your McHenry home for Thanksgiving dinner? Maybe you’re going to their place. In either case, you’ll need to prepare – prepare a meal if they come to you or prepare a dish if you’re visiting them.

Then there’s Christmas. Christmas means decorating the house, putting up the tree, shopping for presents, baking, preparing a Christmas dinner worthy of the occasion and, of course, Christmas parties.

No sooner is Christmas over than New Year's Eve rolls around. Both of these latter holidays occur after the start of winter. That isn’t to say winter weather will wait for the official start of the season. Weather in McHenry is far too unpredictable for that.

The point is that there’s probably no good reason to wait until the last minute before winterizing your car. Do it sooner and you won’t have to worry about it later. You can concentrate on all those other seasonal activities that keep you running this time of year.

Winterizing your car isn’t a big deal. It’s just a matter of making sure your car can handle the cold, snow and ice to the best of its ability.

What does winterizing the car entail? Here’s a general list:

Check the charging and starting system, including the battery – you want the car to start on those bitter cold days ahead
Check the brakes – braking is challenged by slippery roads so you don’t want to make it any more difficult with brakes that aren’t up to the task
Check the wiper fluid and wipers – clear vision is often difficult in winter with snow, ice and frost on the windows making good wipers and wiper fluid critical
Check the antifreeze and cooling/heating system – you want a comfortably warm ride in the winter and you want the defrosters to work to help the wipers and wiper fluid keep the windows clear
Mount your winter tires – a little extra traction is a great thing when dealing with a McHenry winter

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