It’s that time of the year again and winter is just around the corner, are you ready? Whether you live in Montana or Texas there are certain precautions that need to be done to winterize your Infiniti. While we are in Texas there are some of you that will be traveling to colder regions this holiday season, make sure that you are prepared. Here are 10 things you can to do ensure that you’re ready.

1. Make Sure The Antifreeze Is Just Right: You shouldn’t have to mess with your coolant unless you have a leak (or high miles) but to be safe make sure that you get a flush and fill because mixing coolants can have bad side effects, such as turning to gel. It’s best to have a trained Infiniti service tech to take a look at it.

2. Examine Your Belts and Hoses: Make sure to get your belts and hoses checked during full service. Cold weather can play havoc on belts and hoses and your attention is required.

3. Get an Oil Change: Before traveling to your Mothers for a cold Christmas get an oil change. Not just any oil change for colder weather you have to pay attention to the viscosity of the oil. Oil tends to thicken as it gets colder, and if it’s too thick it won’t do the best job of keeping your engine lubricated. Again, check with a trained Infiniti service tech before traveling north for the winter, just to be safe.

4. Can You See: Make sure that you have your windshield wiper fluid topped of, you can use deicer, works wonders. Also, check your blades and window defroster. Make sure that you carry a scraper with you as well, at home you may keep your Infiniti in the garage but when you’re away, that’s not always the case.

5. Check Your Battery: Don’t bet on finding somebody in the middle of a blizzard to give you jump start, be prepared before it happens, so that it doesn’t happen. You know what they say, an ounce of maintenance is worth a pound of cure. if your battery is more than three years old, have a trained Infiniti service tech take a look at it for you. They will check the water levels, for corrosion and the batteries ability to hold a charge.

6. Check Tire Pressure: In order to insure proper traction you need proper tire pressure, look on the tire wall for proper PSI. The air pressure in your tires has likely dropped as the weather has gotten colder, so it’s important to see where things stand now. (You can generally expect that you’ll lose 1 pound per square inch whenever the temperature drops by 10 degrees Fahrenheit.)

7. Do You Have an Emergency Kit: If not, you really should. Here are a few things that you can store in your trunk during the winter months, especially if a trip up to the snowy north is in your future.

• a blanket
• extra boots and gloves
• an extra set of warm clothes
• extra water and food, including hard candies
• an ice scraper
• a small shovel
• a flashlight
• windshield washer fluid
• windshield wipers
• flares
• jumper cables
• a tool kit
• tire chains
• a tire gauge
• a spare tire with air in it
• tire-changing equipment
• a first-aid kit
• paper towels
• a bag of abrasive material such as sand, salt or non-clumping kitty litter, which can provide additional traction if a tire gets stuck in snow.
• Also, keep the gas tank as full as you can to prevent the gas lines from freezing.

8. Prepare Yourself In Case You Get Stranded: Below is Reprinted from Here

DURING –

If you are stranded during a winter emergency take the following measures to increase your chances of survival.

• Do not pull off on the shoulder of the highway, or on an exit ramp. Each year, many cars are struck from behind by other traffic, or snowplows. If you cannot get to a rest area, or populated exit, pull off the exit ramp and then park on the entrance ramp. Vehicles entering the highway are going much slower than those exiting.
• Major truck stops are excellent places to shelter from a storm. They provide restaurants, groceries, even private showers, as well as telephones and up-to-date weather bulletins. For the most part, truckers are friendly, courteous and helpful.
• If you are stranded, stay with your car. It is your best shelter. Do not attempt to walk to safety unless your destination is in sight.
• As soon as you have pulled off in a safe place, get whatever survival gear you have out of the trunk and into the passenger compartment. If possible, keep water from freezing by placing it near a heater vent, or covering it with a blanket.
• Run the engine and heater 10 minutes per hour for warmth. Open a window, at least an inch, on the downwind side of the car to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Periodically check your tailpipe to be sure it is not covered with snow. Once the snow has stopped, brush the snow off of the top and rear deck of your car to make it easier to see. Work slowly to avoid perspiring. It is much harder to stay warm when you are wet.

AFTER:

• Stay with your car until help arrives.
• If you must leave your car put a note inside the front window telling rescuers where you have gone.

9. Four-Wheel Drive: Be sure that your system engages and disengages. Again you can ask a trained Infiniti service tech to take a look for you.

10. Consider Chains or Snow Tires: Depending where you are and whether or not there are a hills you might want to consider purchasing snow tires or brining a pair of chains along with you.

So there you have it, 10 things to make sure your Infiniti is winter ready. If you have questions, comments or concerns please feel free to use the comment section below.