Car Maintenance Tips For Spring
Car Maintenance Tips For Spring
Posted on April 15, 2024
The snow has melted, the birds are chirping, and it’s time for spring car maintenance tips to keep your vehicle running its best.
Winter can seriously damage your vehicle, through wear and tear, cold temperatures, and road salts. As the weather warms, it’s the perfect time to get your car checked out and ready for sunnier seasons!
Let’s run through our Car Maintenance checklist, with spring car tips to get your vehicle in tip-top shape.
Car Maintenance Tip #1: Attend to your Tires
Your winter tires are for winter; and as temperatures increase, it’s time for summer and all-season tires.
Tire Swap Time
Swapping your winter tires for summer or all-season tires is crucial, as they are designed for better performance on ice-free roads. Leaving your winter tires on can cause the tread to wear out faster in warmer conditions, leaving you with bare tires when the ice and snow return.
Read: 3 Helpful Car Tire Maintenance Tips
Tire Rotation and Balance
The tread on your front tires wears out faster, so rotating your tires for the new season is essential to ensure that your treadwear is distributed evenly! We can rotate and balance your tires when you book a service appointment to get your tires swapped.
Get New Tires
If your tires’ tread has been worn down, it may be time to get a new set of tires for Spring! Our Nissan Tire Centre has tires for all conditions, with a 30-day price assurance. For instance, if you find a better price within the first 30 days of your tire purchase, we'll match it!
Learn more about tires here: Ultimate Guide to Tire Checks: Tread Depth, Air Pressure, and more
Car Maintenance Tip #2: Get Your Vehicle Inspected
Get your car inspected by our experienced service technicians to ensure it works properly!
Here are our spring car tips for a vehicle inspection:
Check Fluids
Importantly, it’s a good idea to check all fluid levels after a hard winter, including your oil, transmission fluid, coolant levels, brake fluids, and windshield wiper blade fluids.
Oil Change
The rule of thumb for oil changes is typically every 8,000-12,000km. However, you can usually tell if your car needs an oil change after checking the oil levels with a dipstick when checking your other car fluids. Not sure if you need an oil change? Book an appointment with our service team and have it checked.
Check Lights
Although the days are getting longer and brighter, your vehicle lights are still needed to drive. Double-check that your headlights, brake lights, high beams, turning signals, daytime lights, and other lights are working properly.
Engine Belts
Winter can be hard on your belts and hoses under the hood, hence some squeaking noises when it drops below -30 or when roads get slushy and salty. Be sure to check your serpentine belt, and take your vehicle to a professional if it needs to be replaced.
Windshield Wipers
If your windshield wipers have worn down from snow and ice, you may see streaks across your windshield. Check that your wipers are clearing your windshield properly or have them replaced!
Check the Battery
Winter is rough for car batteries, with fluctuating temperatures and freezing conditions. It’s best to test your battery with a battery load tester to see if your battery is healthy. Our Nissan Parts department is here to help if you need a battery replacement.
Read: 7 Warning Signs Your Car Battery is Damaged
Alignment
Your wheel alignment may be out after the winter season because of hidden curbs in snowbanks, icy potholes, and other driving perils. A great idea is to have a mechanic perform an alignment check on your vehicle and get it aligned if any issues arise.
Some common signs that your alignment is off are your vehicle pulling to one side of the road, uneven wear and tire of your tires, a shaking, loose or unresponsive steering wheel, or squealing tires.
You can ask one of our experts about this service here.
Car Maintenance Tip #3: Attention to Detail
It’s time for a fresh start, for both you and your vehicle… so let’s get that car cleaned!
Wash Away Road Salts
Road salt can cause rusting and damage to the body and undercarriage of your car if left untreated. Besides getting regular car washes in winter to keep your vehicle healthy, it’s best to get a car wash at the beginning of spring.
A Car Detailing
Not only can the exterior of your car get dirty, but the interior of your car can be neglected during the cold winter months. Our detailing service offers hand washes and dries, pet hair removal, interior detailing, vacuuming, power washes, glass cleaning, and more.
To view our detailing packages, click here.
Your Spring Car Maintenance Destination
Our team at Woodbine Nissan is here and ready to serve you. We’re well-versed and experienced in spring car maintenance, from tire swaps and replacements to vehicle inspections and oil changes. Furthermore, our detailing packages are here to keep your car healthy, inside and out.
Contact our team with any car maintenance questions, and follow us on Instagram for future updates!