As a vehicle owner near Poughkeepsie, one problem you are bound to face is the winter season. Winter seasons are usually hazardous, given that the roads are covered in snow and ice, which do not make for perfect driving conditions. While you are busy gearing up to take on the winter season, ensuring that your vehicle is up to the challenge is crucial.

We at Ruge's Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram ensure that all our inventory can withstand wintery conditions. Still, more is needed, so ensure that you take the necessary precautions and winterize your car. Winterizing a car means preparing your vehicle for the winter, so it's ready for the cold and icy winter conditions.

You can do several things to ensure your vehicle is winter ready. Therefore, we at Ruge's Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram have prepared a checklist on what to do to ensure your vehicle is properly winterized.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

During the winter seasons near Kingston, NY, the weather conditions are usually highly unpredictable, so no matter how prepared you are, something may still go wrong. You might find yourself stranded outside in the snow, but with an emergency kit, you can make the situation bearable. Standard things to have in your emergency kit include:

• Flashlights
• Jumper cables
• Tire patch kit
• First aid box
• Tire inflator
• Water and snacks
• Road flares
• Phone charger
• Triangle reflector kit
• Warm clothes

Remember, it's always advisable to double-check your emergency kit before you leave the house.

Take Your Vehicle in for Servicing

Surviving during the winter is always about preparation, and the best way to do that is by keeping up with your vehicle's servicing schedule. During your vehicle's service appointment, ensure that you insist your mechanic check on the following:

• Brakes
• Battery
• Heating System
• Belts
• Hoses
• Spark plugs
• Cooling system

Ask the mechanic to install your vehicle with a battery boasting 600CCA and above for optimal winter performance.

Switch to Winter Tires

During the winter seasons, the road and trails around Kingston, NY, are usually hard to navigate, especially on regular tires. Our dealership near Hyde Park, NY, strongly advises you to switch to winter tires. With winter tires, you are assured that they will not harden, thus reducing their grip on the road. This is mainly because winter tires are usually fitted with a special compound that prevents the tires from hardening in low temperatures.

Also, winter tires provide maximum traction that allows you to dominate the roads in Rhinebeck even during the winter.

Change the Wiper Blades

During winter in Rhinebeck, road visibility is usually at its lowest due to the snow and ice piling up on your windshield. As a result, you can use the wiper blades more often. Since the current wiper blades have been in use for quite a while, they might be worn out and won't do the job of wiping your windshield quite well, causing low visibility.

To ensure this does not happen, we at Ruge's Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram strongly recommend that you switch your wiper blades before the winter season begins.

Switch to the Appropriate Coolant/Antifreeze

Coolant/antifreeze is the liquid responsible for cooling your car's engine, thereby preventing overheating, which may extensively damage the engine. Coolants are also designed to resist freezing, so before the winter season starts in Rhinebeck, ensure that your vehicle is sorted in the antifreeze department. If you need to know what antifreeze to use, you can ask any of our service personnel at our dealership.

Inspect Your Tires

Whenever you want to go out, be it during the summer or any season, especially the winter season, make sure your tire pressure is good and your tires are in the proper condition.