Cold wave continues into the New Year... Winter car maintenance tips?

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] In the freezing cold weather of winter, meticulous vehicle inspection is essential for safe driving. With severe cold weather forecasted for some time in the new year, special attention must be paid to winter accident causes such as vehicle condensation and black ice on the roads.

On the 2nd, used car company K Car revealed tips for winter vehicle inspection. The first part to check in a winter vehicle inspection is the battery. The battery is a component directly connected to power consumption such as starting the vehicle and operating the heated seats, and it often discharges or experiences reduced charging performance in cold winter weather.

To address this, it is recommended to use indoor or underground parking when the weather is cold, and on days when the temperature is below minus 10 degrees Celsius, wrapping the battery with an insulating cover or blanket is also beneficial. Experts advise starting the engine for less than 10 seconds at 30-second intervals about five times before driving, and if there is no significant difference between the first and last attempts, you can be reassured.

Photo by Michelin Korea

Also, the important 'antifreeze' for winter driving preparation should not be overlooked. Antifreeze plays a role in cooling the engine heat. If the antifreeze freezes, it cannot cool the engine heat in time, which can cause fire or risk of radiator freezing. It is recommended to replace or refill antifreeze every 2 years or 40,000 km, and when refilling, use the same product with the same color as the existing antifreeze.

Additionally, avoid rapid acceleration when the engine heat has not risen, and it is better to warm up the engine briefly before driving to prevent strain on the engine.

Finally, it is necessary to check the tire air pressure and wear condition. The risk of accidents increases when it snows or ice forms on the road, and tire air pressure decreases as the weather gets colder, so regular checks are necessary. Experts recommend switching to snow tires to improve grip and braking performance on snowy and icy roads.

Tire specialist Michelin Korea advises that if the tread groove depth of stored winter tires falls below 50%, the tires should be replaced. When installing previously stored winter tires, be sure to check the wear limit line, and if the tread depth is worn down to less than half, it is better to replace them with new tires.

Also, when replacing winter tires, some people replace only two tires on the front or rear wheels to save costs, but this is a very dangerous choice. Experts warn that if only the front wheels are replaced with winter tires, the grip concentrates on the front, causing oversteer (the rear of the vehicle sliding outward) when turning corners, and conversely, if only the rear two wheels are replaced, understeer (the front of the vehicle sliding outward) occurs, leading to dangerous situations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.