RICHMOND, Va. -- Cold weather like this can throw curve balls at your car, and experts want to make sure you're fully ready for whatever Mother Nature sends your way.
With the weather dipping below freezing, you may have noticed your tire pressure light come on because your tires lose about 1 PSI, or pounds per square inch. for every 10 degrees that the temperature drops.
CBS 6 caught up with Morgan Dan, AAA Mid Atlantic spokesperson, and he explained not only can driving with low tire pressure make it difficult to steer your vehicle, but it also burns more fuel.
At the same time, an over-inflated tire means less of the treads are hitting on the roadway, so make sure your tires are pumped up to the exact pressure your vehicle requires.
This is also a good time to check and replace your headlight bulbs and the lenses themselves to be sure they aren’t foggy.
There are even kits at home that can allow you to clean them yourself.
"Replace those bulbs if some of them are burned out, and check those lenses," said Dean. "The average age of a vehicle on the road these days is about 12 and a half years. At that time period, the lenses can start to get foggy even though your bulbs are good. Your lenses are dispersing that light ,and you're not getting that good view down the road in front of you to see a deer or to see something else in front of you."
During the winter months, you may notice any damage from the summer heat to your battery.
"At 32 degrees, your battery loses about 35% of its power," explained Dean. "And it really needs about one and a half times what it does on a normal day to try and start. So that's when you notice that that battery is really having some issues out there. Batteries typically lasts three to five years."
Dean says you should also check windshield wipers to make sure they are working properly, and be patient when it comes to defrosting your vehicle.
"If you can't see all 360 degrees around you, that's a danger," noted Dean. "You might miss a car in your blind spot. You might miss some something coming up ahead.Set that defroster, warm yourself up in the vehicle for that moment or two. Of course, if you're in a garage, you want to make sure you're pulling it out of the garage or have the garage door open. You don't want to start that vehicle inside of a garage."
