Summer is around the corner and, in addition to BBQs, sandals, and sunglasses, I am sure many of us are also thinking of road trips. There is no better time than now to get ready for summer driving. To prepare us for the season, Ted Mansell, Service Technician with over 30 years of experience working on Hyundai vehicles has a wealth of knowledge on automotive safety to share with all of us.
Say hello to sunshine: Now that winter is over, it’s time to transition our vehicles into summer mode. To do this safely, be sure to:
- Change from winter to summer tires. Winter tires lose their grip and longevity as the temperature rises.
- Change your wiper blades if they are streaking and damaged from freezing in the winter.
- Brush-up on your owner’s manual! A “check engine” light can come on for hundreds of reasons, so it’s important to know what to do if it lights up.
- Check your fluid levels. Today’s engine compartment design makes it easy to check the minimum and maximum levels for most of your fluids.
- When washing, remember to spray underneath your vehicle to clean the corrosive salt from all the nooks and crannies.
Take time for your tires: Did you know that half of all breakdowns happen due to low tire pressure? The easiest thing to do is a circle check around your vehicle every time you go to drive your car. The front tires will naturally look softer than the rears, as they carry the most weight. Here are some helpful hints:
- Check your tire pressure once a month. Use the ideal tire pressure found on a label on the driver’s door jam and not the number on the tire itself. The one on the tire is its maximum rating, which could cause a harsh ride and uneven tire wear.
- Avoid overfilling your tires. Use a quality air pressure gauge to be certain.
- Under and over inflated tires increase fuel consumption, so keep them properly inflated for your wallet and your safety.
Do you know where your spare tire is? Surprisingly, many Canadians do not! Know where it is and how to access it. Other important safety tips include:
- You may need to use a custom wrench to release it from its mounting. Each vehicle is different so be sure to find out what type you need and how to use it.
- Spare tires lose air over time, so ensure your spare is properly inflated before embarking on any road trip. The ideal pressure is also on the driver’s door jam.
Adopt your very own vehicle safety checklist: Quality time on the road means mastering your vehicle safety checklist. Here is what should be on yours:
- Do a circle check before every trip and look at the tires. Apply tips above if needed.
- Make sure your lights are working. Be sure to check your headlights and tail lights.
- Get a full service vehicle check-up once a season.
- Ensure you know where your spare tire is and know how to change the tire yourself.
Pack smart for your road trip: In your vehicle you should always have:
- Air pressure gauge
- Booster cables
- Gloves for changing tires
- Safety cones
- Portable air compressor
- Blankets
- Tire wrench
Giveaway:
If you are in Canada and would like to win this road safety kit before June 12th then enter the giveaway through the rafflecopter below. Please follow my social media networks and leave comments to be eligible to win.
Road safety kit includes
- Foam and FLC Lined Gloves
- Tire Fix Heavy Duty Pressure Gauge
- Marker Cones, 12-in, 4-pk
- Rain-X Summer Washer Fluid
- Prestone Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant
Update: The winner is Tanis
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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I live in Ottawa - the tip about the spare tire losing air is something to think about! I never think about my spare tire (at least the one in my car!)
ReplyDeleteI'm in Alberta, and the tip about washing underneath the vehicle. I don't think that every really occurred to me, but makes total sense.
ReplyDeleteMaking sure the spare tire is full of air is the tip I need to pay attention to the most. I'm in BC.
ReplyDeleteThanks
RAFFLECOPTER NAME is Anne Taylor
I live in Newfoundand and the tip of making sure the spare spare has full air
ReplyDeleteBC and Ensure you know where your spare tire is and know how to change the tire yourself - I should know this!
ReplyDeleteI live in Abbotsford BC. I like the tip about getting a full service vehicle check-up once a season.
ReplyDeleteNarathip Wall
OK, so maybe I'm just incredibly practical, but I LOVE this giveaway! Thanks :)
ReplyDeletePlease let me know where in Canada you live? Toronto
ReplyDeleteWhich tip was interesting or new to you? Checking your tire pressure once a month. I forget to do this
Manitoba. Didn't know that I should check tire pressures once a month.
ReplyDeleteI live in Newfoundland and I like the tip Brush-up on your owner’s manual! A “check engine” light can come on for hundreds of reasons, so it’s important to know what to do if it lights up.
ReplyDeleteFlorence C
I'm from BC. I never thought about checking to see how to get my spare out. I know where it is but I don't know if I have the tool to unmount it in my van! I'll have to go look before I go out next. I supposedly know how to change a tire but I haven't done it in about 9 years! My husband takes care of checking our tires, almost every month. One of the great things about having kids to buckle in is that I always to a van walk-around :)
ReplyDeleteI live in NL. I found this tip interesting!
ReplyDelete"Ensure you know where your spare tire is and know how to change the tire yourself"
(Karla Sceviour)
I'm from ON, I found the tip about cleaning underneath your vehicle to clean the corrosive salt interesting
ReplyDeleteI'm from ON, I found the tip about cleaning underneath your vehicle to clean the corrosive salt interesting
ReplyDeletelive in Saskatchewan
ReplyDeletefound this interesting: •Spare tires lose air over time
I am in Ontario.
ReplyDeleteThe tip that is important to me is "Check your tire pressure once a month". A good reminder for me, as I usually only check this a few times a year.
I live in Saskatchewan and I found the Do a circle check before every trip tip interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm in BC. I definitely never thought of the spare tire losing air over time -- great tip!
ReplyDeleteI live in Newfoundland. The tip that was most useful for me was "When washing, remember to spray underneath your vehicle to clean the corrosive salt from all the nooks and crannies.". I have to admit, I've always skipped this and never thought about it before.
ReplyDeleteI'm from ON. I found the tip to check the tire pressure a good reminder for me as I usually put this off.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Ontario and like this tip - Under and over inflated tires increase fuel consumption, so keep them properly inflated for your wallet and your safety.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Ontario and making sure your spare is full of air is so important
ReplyDelete(Debbie W)
I am in Ontario and I like the tip: Ensure you know where your spare tire is and know how to change the tire yourself.
ReplyDeleteI live in NB and I like the tip about making sure the spare tire has air.
ReplyDeleteI live in Hamilton, Ontario, we always take an emergency pack for the car even if we are just going to the store, never thought of taking safety cones though.
ReplyDeleteI live in Ontario and I usually do wash the undercarriage of the car, since my hubby is a mechanic he does everything else
ReplyDeleteI live in BC and I've never thought about checking the air level in my spare....thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteOntario Tip about custom wrench for spare tire
ReplyDeleteI'm from Ontario, the custom wrench tip was the most useful for me, we already do the rest.
ReplyDeleteI live in Ontario. I didn't know that more than half of breakdowns occur because of improperly inflated tires.
ReplyDeleteOntario. A really good tip is "Brush-up on your owner’s manual!"...guilty of not doing that!
ReplyDeleteI live in New Brunswick and learned that you should check your tire pressure once a month and that you should use the ideal tire pressure found on a label on the driver’s door jam and not the number on the tire itself.
ReplyDeleteI live in Ontario. I like the tip to do a full circle look over of the car.
ReplyDeleteI live in Ontario and I didn't know that I should check tire pressures once a month.
ReplyDeleteI am in MB and like the Adopt your very own vehicle safety checklist tip
ReplyDeleteI live in Alberta. I like the brush up on your owner's manual tip. It's something that I've been meaning to do but I just haven't taken the time to do it.
ReplyDeleteI live in Ontario. My favorite tip is check your fluid levels, mainly because we've made that mistake before.
ReplyDeleteI am from Ontario. I like the tip about changing the wiper blades. This is one thing I tend to forget until it is way too late! I also don't have safety cones, which these days seem to be a must!
ReplyDelete