Is your car ready for winter?

With temperatures dropping, it may be a good idea to prepare your car for snow and bad weather conditions. Mechanics said if people put off pre-winter car inspections, they could be looking at big problems in the future.

Carols Villagomez owns a furniture store and said he has to prepare for winter whether he likes it or not.

“We do a lot of deliveries in my business. We want to make sure we can make the deliveries for our customers every time,” he said.

With Old Man Winter knocking on the door it’s hard to believe that Villagomez has never had problems with his vehicles in the past.

“I haven’t had problems, but I have a friend that did and know he’s paying the price for it because he didn’t get his car ready (for winter),” said Villagomez.

That friend had to take his car to a professional, one like Jon’s Auto Repair. Owner Jon Hoover said this isn’t something that people should take lightly.

“It’s very important. Everything should be checked out a least once a year and the best time is before winter,” said Hoover.

Being a good mechanic takes a lot of experience and knowledge, so Hoover recommends a professional.

“You should probably do a 40-point inspection to make sure your car is up to specs,” he said.

Hoover said although many people put off prepping their car, those who prepare usually neglect parts of their car that they didn’t know was at risk.

He said people often forget about their tire pressure, battery, coolants and most of all their engine. The engine could pose a problem, especially when it comes to belts and hoses.

“You want to make sure their not cracked up or split or just plain worn out,” said Hoover.