The Northwest Indiana personal injury law firm, Schlyer & Associates, the Aggressive Trial Lawyers, offers a few tips to prepare your vehicle for the upcoming winter season.
Clean Your Car
Each fall, we rake our leaves, but do not forget to clean the leaves off of your car. When yard products (leaves, twigs, etc) build up in areas of your car where water is supposed to flow out, you can get leaks or corrosion.
The base of your windshield is a classic spot where this can happen.
If you have a sunroof, open it up and poke around in there, too. Sunroofs have drains that flow water that sneaks past the seals down to the ground. Leaf gunk in there can make for wet headliners or worse.
Don't forget to check under the hood. Little critters / animals may want to make a home in your warm engine compartment.
Check Your Tires
So-called "all-season" tires have been on the market for decades. Coupled with front-wheel-drive and anti-skid systems, they have allowed many folks to avoid mounting a true snow tire for the winter months. But watch out for low-profile / wide tires - they tend not work well in the snow.
Check Your Wipers
Wiper blades tend to last about a year. Also, a simple trick. If snow or ice is in the forecast, pop up the wipers so they're not touching the windshield. This little trick will make it easier to scrape your windshield and reduce the chance that you burn out the wiper motor by having them turn on while the blades are frozen in place.
How Is Your Battery?
Winter puts more stress on your battery, particularly if you park your car outdoors.
Avoid the sinking feeling of hearing nothing when you hit the ignition with a proactive check of your battery and charging system now. Repair shops don't usually charge very much to load-test your battery, and some car-parts stores will do it for free.
If you find out your battery's going south, you can replace it at your convenience, instead of being at the mercy of whomever your dead car’s been towed to. Note that some big-box stores such as Costco offer a good price on batteries for those of you willing to change one yourself (not usually all that hard, though batteries are heavy.)
Check Under Your Vehicle
To improve aerodynamics and save fuel, today’s cars are equipped with increasingly elaborate underbody panels and low-hanging air dams.
These can be vulnerable to damage, and driving over a snowdrift in the winter could turn a small problem into a more expensive one.
So before the ground’s too chilly to lie on, take a look under the car, starting from the front, to see if there's anything loose flapping about. Maybe you can just pop it back into place. Maybe a zip tie will take care of it.
Is Your Antifreeze Ready To Go?
If you’ve missed a service interval or have another reason to doubt your coolant, go ahead and have it "flushed and filled." Just make sure your mechanic uses a compatible coolant to refill your car. Some coolants, such as Prestone's Extended Life, work for any car.
If your car has moved to a much colder climate and you’re concerned that your coolant might not be up to the deep freeze, you can check its effectiveness with a simple, under-$10 tester from the car-parts store.
Tire Pressure - Is It Right?
Here are two good reasons to get down there with the gauge and unscrew the valve caps as the weather cools:
Here are two good reasons to get down there with the gauge and unscrew the valve caps as the weather cools:
1) Tires lose a pound of pressure for every drop of 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) An underinflated tire won't "bite" through snow down to the pavement as well as one at pressure. It's similar to hydroplaning on water — and just as dangerous.
Don’t forget to put the valve caps back on when you're done. Letting in moisture, which then freezes, could let the valve core leak out air.
Emergency Survival Kit (of Some Sort)
Everyone should have a space blanket in the car, tucked in the glove compartment or some other storage space in reach of the driver.
The most complete survival kit in the world won’t do a bit of good if you're upside down in a car you can’t get out of and the kit’s in the trunk.
The shiny space blanket's ability to keep you warm could be a lifesaver — and it takes up virtually no space and costs less than $10.
Next things we’d add:
• Whistle
• Plastic bag for gathering snow for water
• Plumber's candle & lighter
• Single-edged razor blade (cut up your upholstery for insulation)
• Empty metal soup can (for melting snow with the candle)
You can — and perhaps should — keep going (some people suggest packing a wordy novel). The more rural and remote your roads, the more you’ll want.
Clean & Wax Your Headlights
Okay, we admit it's a little detail, but in winter’s gloom and short days, every last lumen you can squeeze out of your headlamps is going to improve your safety.
Here's an easy two-minute drill: Make sure the headlamps are clean of dirt, rub car wax (any type will do) on the lamps, let it dry and buff it off. And then apply a second coat. For bonus points, do the taillights.
The slippery surface you leave behind will be less likely to build up an "icicle" coat when road slush refreezes on your car — and will make it easier to remove it if it does.
What should you do if you were injured and it was not your fault?
If you have been injured, please contact the law firm of Schlyer & Associates. The attorneys at Schlyer & Associates have experience in many types of injury and product cases and can represent you in your claim.
What types of personal injury cases do you handle?
The attorneys at Schlyer & Associates, the Aggressive Trial Lawyers, have experience in many types of personal injury cases. For example, the lawyers at Schlyer & Associates represent individuals hurt in car accidents, bus accidents, truck accidents, car crashes, collisions, plane crashes, slip and falls, premises liability incidents, train accidents, intersection accidents, boating accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bike accidents, medical malpractice, nursing errors, hospital negligence, surgical mistakes, burns, amputations, brain injuries, medication errors, pharmacy errors, premises liability, workers compensation, construction accidents, industrial accidents, traffic accidents, wrongful death claims, explosions, FELA cases, defective products, product liability, negligence claims and many other injury cases. Many cases are settled before a law suit is filed. If not, the attorneys will work with you to prepare your case for trial and seek a jury verdict to compensate you for your harms and losses.
How much will it cost me to hire a lawyer at Schlyer & Associates?
There is no fee unless successful. If you believe you have a case or other legal matter, please contact Schlyer & Associates today at (219) 757-0225 to schedule a free meeting with an Aggressive Trial Lawyer to discuss the compensation and recovery you may be entitled to receive. Many of the attorneys at Schlyer & Associates are licensed in both in Indiana and Illinois.
Schlyer & Associates Can Help You File an Affordable Bankruptcy
Many people have struggled financially and have had to make the decision to file anAffordable Bankruptcy. Remember, you are not alone and at Schlyer & Associates, you will not be judged or be made to feel embarrassed. We are here to help. We are a debt relief agency.
Please call the Northwest Indiana law firm of Schlyer & Associates at (219) 757-0225 to set up your free bankruptcy consultation with one of our Affordable Bankruptcy attorneys. Dealing with financial difficulties can be a stressful time on you and your loved ones. We will help you file an Affordable Bankruptcy.
I do not live near your office, can you still represent me?
Absolutely. You can live just about anywhere and we can still represent you. However, most of our clients do live near our office. The lawyers at Schlyer & Associates routinely represents clients that live in Lake County or Porter County, Indiana, including the communities of Hammond, East Chicago, Gary, Whiting Munster, Griffith, Highland, Dyer, St. John, Schererville, Cedar Lake, Lake Station, Crown Point, Merrillville, Hobart, New Chicago, Lowell, Lake Dalecarlia, Winfield, Miller, Lake Village, Valparaiso, Hebron, Dune Acres, Kouts, Odgen Dunes, Chesterton, Town of Pines, Portage, Porter, Wheeler, South Haven or Beverly Shores as well as in the greater Chicago, Illinois area. It does not matter if your case is from Indiana or Illinois, since many of the attorneys at Schlyer & Associates are licensed in both in Indiana and Illinois.
Where Can I Find the law office of Schlyer & Associates?
We are located at 200 West 80th Place, Merrillville, Indiana 46410. We are conveniently located near the intersection of Broadway and U.S. 30 in Merrillville, Indiana, across the street from the Merrillville Post Office, Cafe Fondue and the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce office.
Call us today at (219) 757-0225 to schedule your free meeting. Injured? Don't Settle For Less.
Remember, no personal injury fee unless successful.
Posted by Schlyer & Associates
200 West 80th Place, Merrillville, Indiana (219) 757-0225
From klipinger.com / David Mulbaum
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