Over the winter, salt and other grime will form on the exterior and interior of the vehicle. Washing the car in the driveway will clean the obvious outside areas, but the undercarriage can be easily forgotten. An under body wash will help remove the salt and grime that has adhered to your suspension, frame, brakes, and other important parts that are out of sight on your vehicle. Salt is very corrosive and can lead to rust and damage, so flushing the under side of your vehicle is a great idea, especially in the spring. Remember, we drag salt, dirt, grime, and other debris inside our vehicles all winter long. Hopefully you have mats that help keep the interior floor somewhat clean, but vacuuming and cleaning the carpet is an excellent idea every spring.
Now is also a great time to replace wiper blades as winter temperature swings and road grime will break down the rubber. With spring rains, good wiper blades are very important to your vision while behind the wheel. A good rule of thumb is to replace wiper blades every other oil change. This insures that you always have good working wipers on your vehicle. Wiper blades are an affordable investment and having a clear windshield is important, especially when driving into the sun and oncoming traffic and headlights at night.
You can perform your own spring inspection by turning down the radio, putting down your windows, and listening for those weird car sounds. Squeaking sounds, grinding and scraping noises, humming, hisses, and other things that just do not seem right are a good reason to have a bumper-to-bumper vehicle inspection performed with your next oil change. Belts, pulleys, and hoses take it especially rough over the winter as they are exposed to the conditions all winter long. If the issues are caught early enough, the fix is normally much easier and less expensive.
