We recently received a last minute phone call from friends we had not seen in years. We had just gotten home from church, and learned that they could be to our house in 45 minutes. Our whole family went into action. We had the house spiffed up and the lawn mowed in 45 minutes. The next weekend we remarked how nice it was to have all those chores done so quickly. The coming holidays and the onset of winter can be that same call to action for your car.

One of the first things to think about with cooler temperatures is your car battery. The amount of power available from your battery drops 35% when the temperature reaches freezing. A weak battery that starts well when the car is in the garage, or during the relative warmth of the day, may not start your car after dark. This could happen at the end of the work day or at the mall.

Ironically, the light on your dash that shows the picture of a battery does not actually test the battery. When the battery light comes on you usually have a problem with your charging system. The battery light does not usually come on when the battery is bad.

Many people, including myself, are stranded by a sudden failure of their battery. In my case when my truck was only three years old, it had been starting without any signs of strain or slowness. I had been running an errand. I shut the truck off, came back five minutes later, and the truck wouldn’t do anything. The battery was completely dead. It is very common for new car batteries to fail at the three year mark.

Many auto service businesses offer a free battery test. This test will determine how much cranking power your battery has left in it. Batteries remain at 100% for most of their life. When the cranking power begins to drop it is a signal that the battery will be failing soon. A battery that has less than 80% of its rated capacity is considered bad.

The next item to give consideration to is your windshield wipers. We have had so much dry weather you probably haven’t given them much thought. Use your windshield washer and evaluate the wiping pattern of the wiper blades.

If you are heading North for the holidays, consider your fluids. Have you had your radiator anti-freeze replaced in the last two years? If not, now would be a good time to do that. Have your oil changed before your trip, so that the low temperature additives in the oil are their freshest.

Have your tires looked at for wear – both the amount of tread remaining and the uniformity of wear across the tire. Non-uniform wear is an indication that you need a front end alignment. The legal minimum tread depth is 1/16 of an inch, but a tire with that little tread will be very susceptible to hydroplaning if you drive in the rain. In my experience, nothing improves the ride quality like four new tires. I can say that without prejudice, because I don’t sell tires! Have your tires balanced and rotated if they have adequate tread remaining. I never head out on a long trip without first balancing my tires.

I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving, whether staying home or traveling far away.

Brian Klaubert has written for the Neighborhood News for four years, and owns Christian Brothers Automotive – Hamilton Mill on Braselton Hwy in Dacula. They have been voted Best of Gwinnett in both the Gwinnett Daily Post and Gwinnett Magazine.