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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2005)
The INDEPENDENT, December 1, 2005 Page 17 Don’t wait any longer, get your vehicles ready for winter driving Check your vehicle’s antifreeze before winter Today’s high performance engines make conducting sea- sonal preventive maintenance more important than ever. One of the easiest and most impor- tant tasks on your fall car care checklist should be to inspect the level and freshness of your vehicle's antifreeze. If you don’t remember the last time you checked or changed your antifreeze, you need to do so before winter’s extreme temperatures and harsh road conditions can seri- ously damage your car’s en- gine. Today’s premium formula antifreeze/coolants contain special additives that help en- sure engine longevity and pre- vent radiator leaks. Over time these additives wear out, less- ening their ability to protect vital engine and cooling system metals against rust and corro- sion. “Think of antifreeze as your vehicle’s lifeblood, which must be properly maintained to en- sure engine longevity,” sug- gests Craig Gullett, a brand manager for an antifreeze com- pany. “Cooling system failure is a leading cause of engine relat- ed breakdowns, which can cost thousands of dollars and leave you and your family stranded at the worst possible time.” Ensuring that your car’s cooling system has the proper concentration and level of an- tifreeze/coolant will help protect it from boiling over during hot weather and freezing during the cold winter months ahead. Inspecting and maintaining your car’s cooling system takes just a few minutes and can be completed with basic service tools and an antifreeze ball tester, which is available at your local auto parts store. Caution: Opening a hot radi- ator or coolant overflow tank can cause severe burns. Be sure that both the engine and the coolant system are cool be- fore you begin any heat- ing/cooling system mainte- nance or repairs. Check hoses for leaks or cracks in the rubber and make sure that the radiator hose clamps are tight to pre- vent leaks at the connections. Hoses that show signs of wear should be replaced. Check your owner’s manual for antifreeze usage specifica- tions. Many new vehicles today come with extended life an- tifreeze designed to protect cooling systems for up to 150,000 miles or five years. If you changed your an- tifreeze recently, but your sys- tem level is low, use your an- tifreeze ball tester to make sure that the antifreeze-to-water ra- tio is correct. Then, top-off your system with a “ready to use” mixture of antifreeze/water. “By taking just a few minutes, twice a year, to check their an- tifreeze, vehicle owners can protect themselves from the ex- pense and inconvenience of ra- diator work, and ensure their comfort and performance sea- son after season,” said Gullett. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Check your vehicle’s cooling system today to ensure that it’s ready for the long winter ahead. Can your battery keep charging this winter? Motorists should understand that cold winter months are hard on a vehicle, especially the component responsible for providing all of the electrical charge. At zero degrees a bat- tery runs on only 60 percent of its usual power. That means that this component can’t afford to play catch-up. “Motorists could avoid many unpleasant scenarios simply by having their cars inspected,” See page 18 ‘Tis the season to be jolly, so take a few precautions to keep your holidays happy! • Check your Christmas lights for frayed or exposed wires, loose connections or broken sockets before you put them up. • Make sure your tree is securely anchored in a tree stand and kept well watered. • Don’t use indoor Christmas lights or extension cords outside. • Don’t overload circuits or have too many plugs in one socket. Don’t let that glow in the sky be your home. Play it safe with these pre- cautions. Remember, fire only needs a chance — don’t give it one. • Turn off and unplug all Christmas lights, indoors and out, before going to bed. • Keep matches well out of reach of children. • Use flame-resistant or non-flammable decorations. If they are not labeled flame-resistant, don’t buy them! • Be sure your smoke alarm is working properly. • Have a fire extinguisher in your home at all times. • Don’t place your tree near a fireplace or heater. • Makeshift ladders are the number one cause of injury during the holiday season. Be careful what you stand on. West Oregon Electric Cooperative, Inc.