Spring Car Maintenance Checklist.

It's March THIS WEEK!  I cannot believe that it is springtime but we will really start feeling it here soon.  

Just like your lawn and your wardrobe, your car needs some spring time upgrades.  I got a lot of tips from this website and our handy service department.  

• Remove Winter Tires.  I'm sorry, this made me laugh, but in some states they're a must.  At Eckert Hyundai, we are based in North Texas, winter tires are foreign.  And even where I grew up in Chicago, we just depended on public services like plowing and salt to get around.  I guess if you live in Idaho, Alaska or Northern Washington state, you might consider those.  
• Check the Tread on Your Non-Winter Tires.  Did you know you can do this at home with some spare change?  Go ahead, read the link and feel like a service tech-y.  You'll thank us later.
• Rotate tires.  I just called our service department because I don't understand why this is important.  Well, a majority of the cars we drive had Front Wheel Drive (FWD).  With FWD, we put all of the stress on the front two tires and the back tires just hold up the car.  Well, leave those un-rotated and you'll see, you'll be buying new tires every few months.  And after driving through the winter, you can imagine the two front tires are exhausted.  Rotate those guys. 
• Change those Wiper Blades.  Unfortunately, the wiper blades get the brunt of the weather and with all of the muck, ice & snow coming at you, you could understand why you might want new ones.  Plus, with April Showers bring May Flowers.  So expect some rain this spring.  We need it! 
• Brakes.  Drive around with your stereo turned down so you can tune into your car.  I know, it's hard.  And listen for squeaking, squealing or grinding (oh, my!) bring it in to get the brakes changed.  Unless you are really handy and can swing that by yourself.  
• Oil change.  You definitely want to change your oil every season or more.  Watch your mileage, if you are a heavy driver, more often!  Lots of gunk can build up every winter. And! Bonus.  If you bring your car to Eckert Hyundai you get every 5th oil change is free, so buy 4 get one free.  It's a pretty great deal.  And we have free wi-fi. 
• Fluid Top-offs.  If you're getting the oil changed ask the mechanic to check and top off transmission, coolant, windshield wiper, brake and power steering fluids.  They can get depleted during winter, too. 
• Clean Undercarriage.  I grew up in Chicago and graduated from college in Texas.  Whenever a mechanic got under my car, they said, "Are you from the North?" because the undercarriage of my car was so ripped up.  The salt and dirt from the winter can really hurt your car so, be nice to it.  
• Clean & Protect the Exterior.  Now is the perfect time to do a good old fashioned car wash outside the garage.  Or pay your kids to do it!  You want to clean off all of that winter scum.  

 Happy Springtime!  Hope this helps.