It is not a solution to choose the best engine oil for bikes when there is no routine list for including winter vehicle maintenance tips. Just like we all need time to change over with the seasons, so do our vehicles need periodic check-ups to keep rolling. Why?
Well, with a change in temperature comes a change in the manner in which our vehicles will behave. For instance, cold temperatures can freeze fluids in a vehicle. Once more, high temperatures can make the vehicle overheating within no time.
Continuous usage of your vehicle leads to wear and tear on your vehicle; however, this wears gradually, which means the performance of your vehicle will gradually become less. But weather conditions that you expose your vehicle to may cause mechanical faults that you should prevent for your vehicle.
Why you should have seasonal maintenance of your vehicle
Here are reasons why regular vehicle maintenance can help extend the life of your investment:
a) Extended longevity
Seasonal maintenance extends the shelf life of your investment and maximizes usage capacity, even with drastic weather changes. Maintenance exposes minimal wear and tear that can be fixed to extend the vehicle’s longevity. Not doing so might lead to temporary damage in one area, gradually impacting other components to wear faster than usual. Simply put, regular maintenance is a preventive step that keeps your vehicle’s health in check.
b) Saves from heavy loss
You keep your assets being slowly depreciated by maintaining a car regularly. You protect yourself from heavy damage and expense after a long time since you fix minor problems all through the year. A well-maintained vehicle runs efficiently, uses fuel optimally, and requires fewer replacements.
c) Safety
With constant usage, there are safety risks you cannot turn a blind eye to as a vehicle user. Seasonal servicing gets you to focus on all those trouble spots that are going to keep you as well as the passengers around you safe. For example, checking the tyre condition along with every oil change as well as ensuring a proper engine check-up to see if everything is in the right working order are situations to be covered with every routine.
Critical Vehicle Maintenance Winter Tips
Here are a few vehicular aspects that need your attention during the winter:
1. Warming up
It is also important that you warm your car for 3 to 5 minutes before taking off because that is part of vehicle maintenance tips for winter and that is how you can make sure that the oil has spread to every portion of the engine as you hit the road.
2. Check the Oil level and Filter condition
Consider the use of the right multi-grade oil, which is helpful for easier cold starts. Ensure that the oil level falls within the range indicated on the dipstick. Low oil levels can lead to increased engine wear and tear, especially in cold weather. Change the oil filter every time you change the oil. A clogged or dirty oil filter may reduce oil flow, and hence it may cause a bad engine performance.
3. Check the Anti-freeze coolant level
Make sure your coolant level is at the correct level and that the concentration of antifreeze is right.
4. Test lights
Make sure that all lights, including headlights, brake lights, fog lights, and turn signals, are working properly.
5. Test car battery
With a decrease in temperature, a car battery loses its original power. This is also the reason why vehicles take some time to start during colder weather. If the battery needs to be replaced, the engine might not start. Prompt inspection is necessary during seasonal vehicle maintenance to ensure the vehicle does not stop working.
6. Check tyre pressure
Tyre pressure should be maintained during winter months for vehicular performance. The pressure automatically reduces during cold because air contracts during cold. One must keep track of under-inflated tyres so that they may refill the same in the quickest time possible to avoid damage. Winter roads are slippery, and driving with worn-out tyres can kill a person.
What occurs in the vehicles during winter months
Cold weather affects how your engine oil for a bike or car retains its lubricating and maintaining properties. This is what happens and why the maintenance becomes necessary:
i) Viscosity
Cold weather makes normal engine oils thicker, keeping them from touching the difficult areas in the engine. Getting to areas with high friction within a car takes longer and increases the chances of damage. Synthetic oil, however, has improved viscosity that assists in creating lower friction with the engine. It maintains a smooth flow that helps one drive hard snowy terrains.
ii) Varnish deposit
With a varnish coat, your engine may collect inside traditional engine oils during the winter season. The varnish layer breaks the natural oil lubrication and causes a fast engine to wear out. The thickening of the oil due to weather and varnish can cause the car to have a hard time starting. In worse scenarios, your engine might refuse to run and will necessitate external help to restart it again.
iii) Sludge accumulation
While conventional oils continue to get greasy with time and collect sludge inside, the trend measures in winter. It chokes your vehicular engine since it blocks smooth flow.
Using good quality synthetic oil for bikes prevents sludge formation inside engines. There is no molecular buildup within synthetic engine oils so they do not form any sludge inside the engine regardless of the season.
In nature, conventional engine oils naturally freeze because of their origins and processing. Synthetic oil is manufactured in a lab with consideration for the conditions in which the oil may freeze. It has a low pour point; it will not flow during cold periods and therefore will not have any negative impacts on the health of the engine.
Best synthetic oils for winters
These car maintenance tips for winter will keep your vehicle running smoothly during harsh climatic conditions. CarYanams offers quality synthetic oil with different grades categorized for different types of engines across two-wheeler and four-wheeler vehicles.