How To Protect Your Vehicle During A Cold Snap

When the weather turns frigid, follow these tips.

Extremely cold weather can wreak havoc on your car’s engine, suck power from its battery and deflate your tires. And during a cold snap, temperatures can plummet overnight, putting your car at higher risk of breaking down on your morning commute. So make sure you monitor the forecast, and if you hear that a cold spell is coming, here’s what you can do to protect your vehicle.

CHECK THE BATTERY
Battery issues are the most frequent cause of breakdowns, and low temperatures can drain batteries far faster than high ones. Examine your battery’s terminals and cables, making sure they’re tight and free from corrosion.  Brighton Ford offers free battery checks at our Service Center all winter long.

COAT THE BATTERY TERMINALS
Coat the battery terminals with automotive grease or petroleum jelly to prevent deposits from forming. If the battery looks swollen or if the casing is cracked, take your vehicle to a local Ford Dealer Service Center to be checked right away.

MONITOR YOUR CAR’S TIRES
Tire pressure drops considerably in cold weather, affecting your vehicle’s handling and stopping ability. Check your tire pressure monthly, and fill the tires to the proper level as listed on the label found on your driver’s side doorjamb.  Brighton Ford offers free tire checks at our Service Center all winter long.

CHECK AND CHANGE THE OIL
Do this regularly. Colder temperatures cause oil to thicken, impeding its ability to travel through the engine. This can lead to a breakdown. Consult your owner’s manual to find out the best oil for your vehicle.

INSPECT BELTS AND HOSES
Look for cracks or fraying—in winter belts and hoses are more likely to get brittle and break. A damaged belt will reduce the engine’s efficiency, and a leaky hose could lead to an overheated engine and costly repairs.

FILL UP THE GAS TANK
Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid a gas-line freeze-up.

MAINTAIN THE COOLANT LEVEL
Check your coolant level whenever you fill up the gas tank. Running low on coolant—also known as antifreeze—can be catastrophic, potentially ruining your engine.

EXAMINE THE WIPERS
In cold weather, windshield wipers need to be in top shape to remove snow and ice. Examine them and replace your wipers if the rubber is cracked, broken or falling off. And be sure to use a windshield washer fluid with the necessary freeze protection for your area.

INSPECT THE WINDSHIELD
Inspect your car’s windshield, looking for any cracks or chips. When temperatures drop below freezing, cracks are more likely to spread because the glass becomes more concave, and any moisture that collects in chips can freeze and expand.

AVOID FLYING DEBRIS
To protect your windshield while driving, be on the lookout for flying debris, especially from snowplows, which can launch stones, ice and chunks of asphalt.

TAKE AN EMERGENCY KIT
Prepare a winter emergency kit for the trunk and check it regularly, making sure your portable jump starter and spare cell phone are charged. (Often 911 calls will go through even if the phone has no service plan.)

The kit should include:
Tire chains
Road salt or kitty litter for traction
Jumper cables
Jump starter
Cell phone
Phone charger
Small shovel
Ice scraper
Flashlight
Rags or paper towels
Blankets
Flares
Bottled water
Energy bars

MONITOR THE FORECAST
Always keep on top of your local forecast and stay off the road when there are advisories. Stay safe—and warm!

Brighton Ford offers free tire and battery checks at our Service Center.  Any questions or need help with any of these items to get ready for the cold Michigan winters, give our Service Department a call at 888-826-4760 or stop in at 8240 Grand River, Brighton, MI 48114. 

Click here to view our service coupons  



Article by Jordan Mendoza from www.myfordmag.com

Built Ford Tough, Tested Even Tougher

BRIGHTON Mich, Jan. 26, 2012 – Everyone has heard the expression, “Built Ford Tough,” but if you are like many others you wonder what that implies or if it’s just another marketing campaign. Rest assured, when Brighton Ford says “Built Ford Tough,” we mean exactly that… TOUGH.

Ford Social let us in on some of the secrets behind their cold weather testing at the Ford Proving Grounds in Dearborn, Michigan. One test they use is “Deep Thermal Shock,” where engines are cooled to -22 degrees, started, and let it idle for one minute. The engine is then accelerated to horsepower peak speed for 14 minutes until the manifold heats up and gives of a cherry red glow. This cycle is then repeated for 100 to 200 hours!

Dan Badger, Ford Powertrain Integration Supervisor explained, “Testing in extreme conditions helps the calibration team answer vital questions such as, ‘Are we getting the cold start times correct? Is the throttle body icing? Are we going through blizzards and seeing snow ingestion that we didn’t get in wind tunnel testing?’ We want protect customers in a worse-case scenario and deliver the best experience possible when they step on the accelerator pedal.”

Dan Badger showing the extremes of the cold weather testing at the Ford Proving Grounds in Dearborn, MI

To see the full article on the secrets of cold weather testing, visit the Ford Social Blog.

Brighton ford is located at 8240 Grand River Ave. just north of I-96 in Brighton. We are a family owned and operated business that strives on customer satisfaction. For more information on Brighton Ford, visit www.BrightonFord.com.

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Ten Tips for Brighton, Michigan Winter Driving

BRIGHTON, Mich., Jan. 23, 2012 – We all know how hectic winter driving can be around Brighton, MI. Now that winter has arrived, here are ten tips for winter driving.

10.  Get your vehicle winter ready – Equip your vehicle with snow tires and sandbags (for rear-wheel drive vehicles). FWD vehicles are better for the road than RWD, and AWD is better than both.

9.  Check your tire pressure – Proper tire inflation is important for driving in all seasons and with the temperature fluctuations tire pressures can change as well. For information on tire pressure and inflation check out this how-to article at Edmunds.com

Seems silly right?

8.  Get new wiper blades – Keeping washer fluid levels up is important but won’t do any good with worn out wipers. Come visit us at Brighton Ford and get your car equipped today.

7.  Scrape ice off your windows before departing – Defrost and scrape ice off of your windows and windshield.  “Peep-hole” driving is both dangerous and awkward looking.

The essentials for a winter driving survival kit

6.  Pack an emergency survival kit – Some emergency food like trail mix or granola bars, a flashlight, some hand and feet warmers, a blanket, and small shovel are essentials for your winter roadside emergency kit. All of these things can be found at Meijer. If you find yourself stranded be careful about letting the car run to stay warm, carbon monoxide poisoning is a real danger in those situations.

5.  Allow a few minutes for your engine to warm up – This is important for engine health and your car will be warmer for your trip to work or school.

4.  Give your ride a thorough inspection and perform any necessary maintenance  - The winter is the worst time to have a roadside break down. Give your vehicle and good once over or bring it into the Brighton Ford Service Center and get it winter road ready. Check out the coupon page on our website at www.brightonford.com to get a coupon for a FREE winter check up

3.  Check the antifreeze – The correct quantity and dilution of antifreeze is important for your engines long-term health.

2.  Keep gloves on hand – Frostbite is a concern but just having cold hands is uncomfortable and avoidable.

Practice! Take it slow and get a good feel for how to handle the slick conditions

1.  Practice! – After a light snow take your car to an empty parking lot and get a feel for accelerating, breaking, turning, and Carefully practice sliding so you can get a better feel for how to handle the winter road conditions and make the proper steering corrections. Its not a bad idea (if there is no cars behind you) to give the breaks a good tap as you leave your house to get a feel for how slick the roads are and to give yourself a better idea of how much distance you will need to safely stop. 

Brighton ford is located at 8240 Grand River Ave. just north of I-96 in Brighton. We are a family owned and operated business that strives on customer satisfaction. For more information on Brighton Ford, visit www.BrightonFord.com.

Follow us at facebook.com/brightonford, twitter.com/brightonfordmi and on Google+