3 Ways to Get Your Car Ready for Spring

Believe it or not, fellow Canadians, but spring is here!

Just as you prepared your vehicle for winter, there are a few things you can do to get it ready to enjoy the warmth and sunshine of spring and summer.

Change Out Winter Tires

Winter tires are built for snow and freezing conditions. Winter tires are made with a specialized rubber compound that has the ability to grip in snow and react favourably to freezing temperatures.

If you live in British Columbia or Quebec, winter tires are required, by law, throughout most areas and major highways in the winter months. British Columbia requires winter tires from October 1 – March 31, while Quebec requires winter tires from December 15 – March 15.

No matter what province or territory you’re in, now that we’re in mid-April, you can start considering getting your all-season tires put on your car.

Deep Clean Exterior & Interior of Vehicle

Road salt, sand and gravel can build up underneath your vehicle. In the case of road salt, this can corrode your car’s undercarriage and around your wheel wells. If you want to deep clean these areas, it’s best to use a pressure washer or take your car to a car wash that also cleans underneath your vehicle.

A good exterior wash will also help preserve your car’s paint.

For the interior, it’s a good idea to take out your floor mats. This allows you to give your interior a deeper clean, as well as ensures you can get the floor mats cleaned great. If you use some type of vehicle shampoo or hot water to aide your cleaning effort, make sure the interior is totally dry before putting your floor mats back in.

After a long winter, it’s probably best to pick a warm spring day and dedicate an hour or two to giving your car’s exterior and interior the attention it deserves.

Get a Spring Car Tune-up

Winter conditions can be just as hard on the roads as your vehicle.

Potholes are a side effect of a harsh winter. Depending on your speed or frequency of hitting potholes, these potholes can impact your tire alignment. If you take your vehicle into a service centre to get your winter tires switched out, you may want to ask them to check your tire alignment.

If you’re getting your tire alignment checked, you might as well get your brakes checked as well. Just as road salts can corrode your vehicle’s undercarriage, it can have a negative effect on your brake pads.

Lodged gravel and sand can also cause your brakes to be a bit touchy. Making sure your brake pads are clear and clean will make your vehicle safer to drive.

Lastly, your windshield wiper blades will have taken a beaten through the winter. Replacing your wiper blades will ensure the rubber on said blades isn’t damaged, which will prevent those pesky streaks caused by damaged wiper blades.