With summer's arrival, ensuring your vehicle is prepped and you're ready for the road is crucial for safe and enjoyable journeys.
Dean Law, owner, operator, and shop foreman at Law's Automotive in Portage la Prairie, shares vital maintenance and safety tips to navigate the hot season.
Keeping your cool: vehicle maintenance essentials
Law emphasizes proactive checks to prevent common warm-weather breakdowns. Key areas demand attention before hitting the highway.
"Checking your cooling system, ensuring the cooling levels are topped up. Inspect your hoses and radiators for leaks. If you smell a sweet smell, it's typically a coolant leak, and you want to get that checked because overheating is more common in the hot weather," Law advises.
He stresses testing air conditioning early: "Testing the air conditioning first before the summer even hits. Make sure it's blowing cold before the summer comes, because if it isn't blowing cold, a lot of shops get very busy, quick, and it could be about two to three weeks to a month before you can even get in."
Tires need special attention: "Inspecting tires. Increasing the tire pressures. So check them regularly. Make sure your tire pressures aren't too high or too low... look for treadwear. Cracks aren't bad as long as you're not seeing any metal belts inside the cracks, you should be OK."
Law highlights battery health: "High temperatures can drain the battery life, so make sure you're checking your battery health. Clean your terminals, check for corrosion, which will look like white stuff on the terminals. If you do find that, baking soda and water will neutralize the acid, stopping the terminals from shorting."
He also advises checking engine oil as "The heat will actually break down the oil way faster", wiper blades and fluid because "Summer storms happen," brakes since "hot weather also can strain the braking system," and crucially, the spare tire, something often forgotten by drivers.
"Make sure it's actually up to pressure and make sure it's actually in good condition. You don't want to be in the middle of nowhere and not have a spare tire." He warns.
Cleaning the air filter is a simple DIY task: "Dust and pollen are worse in summer. A clean filter helps your air quality and your engine performance... take your air filter out, give it a couple of taps on the ground... Put it up to the sun and make sure you can actually see through your air filter. If you can't, get a new air filter."
Smart driving and summer preparedness
Beyond the vehicle, Law stresses occupant safety and preparedness for summer travel challenges.
Sun protection is key: "I always like to keep a sun shade in the vehicle using the windshield, sun shades and get your windows tint. Especially not the front driver and passenger windows. They have to be 35% for the legal operation... That UV protection will help protect the inside of your car and also our own skin... the sun shades protect your dashboards and your leather within your vehicle."
Staying fueled and informed is critical: "Stay hydrated when travelling on the road in the summertime. I like to keep something in there to keep your electrolytes up - some bottled water and snacks so you don't crash and have a hanger problem. Keep it sealed inside a package, so the wildlife doesn't try to get into your vehicle to eat it."
He strongly recommends checking conditions: "Especially right now, there's a higher risk of wildfires and flash floods in the summertime, especially when driving in remote areas like national parks, so you always want to check for weather and forecast."
Pack an essentials kit: "Water bottles, activity books, just in case for the kids, tablets to keep them mild... Hand sanitizer and hats or sunglasses." He stresses that an emergency kit is also vital: "Flashlights, jumper cables, first aid kit, phone chargers."
His advice, grounded in professional expertise and personal experience as a father, aims to ensure everyone enjoys a safe and smooth summer on Manitoba's roads.