Making Sure Your Vehicle is Ready for Cincinnati Winters

Fall is in full swing, with cooler temperatures, shorter days, pumpkin spice, and changing leaves. As winter peaks around the corner, now is the time to ensure your vehicle is prepared for the chill of Cincinnati winters.

At Evan’s Auto Care, we offer our digital vehicle inspection as a courtesy with all of our services, helping you stay informed of your vehicle’s needs with each visit. These reports cover over 70 different maintenance and safety items, with a clear layout outlining what is in good shape, maintenance items that will need future attention, and hazardous items that need immediate attention.

Many of these items can go overlooked, as not all damage will produce symptoms that are noticeable while driving. We like to make sure that every customer is well-informed of their vehicle’s needs in order to plan appropriately. Here are a few key items to check on your vehicle as we head into the coming winter months.

4 Winter Checkpoints

1. Battery

If you’ve noticed any difficulty starting, such as a slow turn or hesitation, the cold temperatures will amplify this and cause further strain on your battery. With the average life span of most batteries in the 5-7 year range, it’s imperative to make sure that your battery has plenty of life in it as temperatures drop.

2. Tires

DOT Safety recommendations require replacement at 2/32 of tread depth, however, we recommend replacement at 4/32 of tread depth left, especially with snow and icy conditions. Bad tires are a main cause of accidents in Cincinnati, and this increases as the temperatures decrease. We measure your tires’ tread with every visit.

3. Cabin and Air filters

Dirty filters can cause unnecessary strain on systems, leading to decreased performance. Dirty cabin filters can lead to mold growth, with reduced efficiency causing HVAC systems to work harder. This added strain can lead to decreased gas mileage and longer defrost times.

4. Fluids

It is imperative to make sure that fluid levels are properly filled and all fluids are clean. Brake fluid helps the braking system avoid corrosion while maintaining safe braking distance. Antifreeze is mistakingly thought of as being for just winter, but it is important to maintain throughout the year to prevent overheating. Old antifreeze will lose its effectiveness on preventing corrosion and can cause additional wear and tear on your engine from added contaminants. Lastly, it is very important for safety to keep your washer / wiper fluid topped off, especially with the salt-covered roads in Cincinnati.

Our courtesy inspection is performed every visit and with every service, and that’s “Evan’s Advantage” as the best-reviewed independent auto repair shop in Cincinnati, with the most trusted mechanics and advisors. Evan’s Auto Care is celebrating 60 years of servicing Blue Ash’s vehicles, with the last four decades specializing in European auto repair, maintenance, and service. The emphasized focus on BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche and Volkswagen service & repair has us connected with dealership-level software, tools and manufacturer communication. This is imperative to keep these high-performance driving machines running smoothly for years to come. However, we haven’t forgotten our roots and continue to work on most makes and models, both foreign and domestic. We’re always glad to help answer any questions and scheduling online is easy.