5 Tips for Winter-Proofing Your Car

With winter off to a slow start here in New England this year, lets not forget that January, February and March are still ahead of us!  Old Man Winter will make his appearance sooner than later.  That's why it's a good time to start preparing now for those hazardous winter road conditions. 

We recently cam across these tips that are simple, very inexpensive and so unusual we just had to pass them along:

1.) Ice-proof your windows with vinegar: Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water and spray it on all your car windows at night.  Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water, which prevents water from freezing.  Spray it in the evening and your windows will be clear of ice in the morning. 

2.)  Keep your headlights clear with car wax: Slush, snow and road salt are horrible for your headlights. When it sticks, it can be very dangerous to drive.  The good news is you can fix this by wiping regular car wax on your headlights and buffing if off as you would your paint.  Car wax contains special water repellents that will prevent the snowy mess from building up. 

3.)  Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol:  Pour the rubbing alcohol on a cloth and wife down the wiper blades.  The rubbing alcohol will clean the buildup of grease and grime on your wiper blades, which is the main culprit of malfunctioning wiper blades. 

4:) De-Ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer:  Most cars now have wireless key locks.  But for those of us who still have to insert a key into a lock to get into our car...this can pose a problem when your car is covered with ice.  Simple fix...just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key and lock. Just make sure your hand sanitizer has at least 60% alcohol because its the alcohol that keeps it from freezing. 

5:) Get unstuck from the snow with your floor mat:  Don't panic if you get stuck in the snow. Turn your car off and put it in park. Stick the rubber side of one of your floor mats under the spinning tire. Turn the car back on and give it some gas and the mat will provide you the grip you need to get going again!

Good luck this winter. If you want to add to your winter planning...be sure to hit the roads with a new set of winter tires.  Visit www.townfairtire.com for the largest selection of winter tires in New England!