Harsh winter weather can have a negative impact on cars

This long winter season has been difficult for most of us, and more than likely, it’s probably difficult on your car as well.

Vern Montgomery, store manager at Graham Tire by South 14th and Old Cheney, says there’s been a recent uptick in the amount of calls requesting tows, likely resulting from dead car batteries.

Montgomery says the amount of people bringing their cars in for tire issues and dead car batteries has been on the rise.

“In the grand scheme of things, cold hurts vehicles… They respond: the plastics, the metals, all of those things in the vehicle, respond to it negatively,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery says, with the large amounts of snow the city has received lately, more potholes have sprouted up, causing damage to car tires.

The extreme cold doesn’t help much either.

“It makes the rubber, depending on what type of tire you have on the vehicle, it can make the rubber a little harder, so it doesn’t flex as well as it would in warmer temperatures. So that decreases your traction,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery says the requests for cars to be towed in has been on the rise too.

On some days, there is up to a seven hour delay before a tow truck is available to get to a stranded vehicle.

That’s why he recommends getting your car checked before the weather begins to change.

As far as car batteries go, they usually last around four to five years.

Montgomery says it’s critical to check your battery regularly when temps get below zero.

“Once you start to get toward the end of your battery life, say four and a half years or so, you certainly want to maybe be proactive in replacing it. Instead of waiting for a problem to arise, just go ahead and get the battery replaced.”

Car tire pressure is also negatively affected by the cold.

Montgomery recommends filling up your tires with air each time you refill your gas tank.

He also thinks people should keep items like extra wiper fluid, blankets and other essential items in your car at all times, preparing for the worst.

“I know I am looking forward to spring arriving. The warmer temperatures are obviously going to be a welcomed sight when they do arrive, and I just hope that we can get there sooner rather than later,” said Montgomery.

If you need an expert opinion on your vehicle, Montgomery says give them a call.

You can head to their website to learn more at www.grahamtire.com.