How to Winterize a Car

How to Winterize a Car

Winterize a Car - Brakes / ABS

Winterize a Car - Brakes / ABS

Winterize a Car - Engine & Fuel System

Winterize a Car - Engine & Fuel System

Winterize a Car - Exhaust & Fuel System

Winterize a Car - Exhaust & Fuel System

Winterize a Car - Heaters, Defrosters, Wipers

Winterize a Car - Heaters, Defrosters, Wipers

Winterize a Car - Cooling System

Winterize a Car - Cooling System

Winterize a Car - Battery

Winterize a Car - Battery

Winterize a Car - Tires

Winterize a Car - Tires

Winterize a Car - Preparing an Emergency Supply Kit

Winterize a Car - Preparing an Emergency Supply Kit

Winterize a Car - Surviving a Roadside Breakdown

Winterize a Car - Surviving a Roadside Breakdown

Auto Maintenance vs. Repair

Auto Maintenance vs. Repair

How to Buy a New Car

How to Buy a New Car

When to Replace Tires

When to Replace Tires

How to Plan for International Travel

How to Plan for International Travel

How to Winterize a Car

How to Winterize a Car

How to Remove Snow from your Car

How to Remove Snow from your Car

How to Save for Retirement using IRAs

How to Save for Retirement using IRAs

How to Invest in CDs, Money Markets & Savings Accounts

How to Invest in CDs, Money Markets & Savings Accounts

How to Save Money

How to Save Money

How to Avoid Distracted Driving

How to Avoid Distracted Driving

Driving Emergencies

Driving Emergencies

Renting a Car - Getting the Most Out of Your Rental

Renting a Car - Getting the Most Out of Your Rental

Tips on Auto Batteries

Tips on Auto Batteries

Tips on Engine Fluids

Tips on Engine Fluids

Improving Gas Mileage When Driving

Improving Gas Mileage When Driving

Tips for Maintaining Vehicle Appearance

Tips for Maintaining Vehicle Appearance

Sudden Tire Blow-Out Safety

Sudden Tire Blow-Out Safety

Stop Texting And Save Lives

Stop Texting And Save Lives

Common Car Care Tasks

Common Car Care Tasks

The Real Dangers Of Running Out of Gas

The Real Dangers Of Running Out of Gas

Easy Tips To Improve Fuel Efficiency

Easy Tips To Improve Fuel Efficiency

What To Remember When Renting A Car

What To Remember When Renting A Car

Understanding the Importance of Bike Safety

Understanding the Importance of Bike Safety

Understanding The Importance Of A Child Safety Seat

Understanding The Importance Of A Child Safety Seat

Safely Remove Snow From Your Car

Safely Remove Snow From Your Car

Diagnosing Common Car Problems

Diagnosing Common Car Problems

Car Problems - Brake Light Is On or Noisy Brakes

Car Problems - Brake Light Is On or Noisy Brakes

Car Problems - Oil Light Comes On While Driving

Car Problems - Oil Light Comes On While Driving

Car Problems - Temperature Gauge Running Hot

Car Problems - Temperature Gauge Running Hot

Car Problems - Steering Wheel Wobbles at High Speeds

Car Problems - Steering Wheel Wobbles at High Speeds

Car Problems - Uneven Tire Wear

Car Problems - Uneven Tire Wear

Car Problems - What Do the Different Dashboard Lights Mean?

Car Problems - What Do the Different Dashboard Lights Mean?

Car Problems - What Do the Other Dashboard Lights Mean?

Car Problems - What Do the Other Dashboard Lights Mean?

How to Improve Gas Mileage

How to Improve Gas Mileage

Improving Gas Mileage - Tires

Improving Gas Mileage - Tires

Improving Gas Mileage - Wheel Alignment

Improving Gas Mileage - Wheel Alignment

Improving Gas Mileage - Clean Air Filter

Improving Gas Mileage - Clean Air Filter

View more ...

Founded in 1902, AAA is a not-for-profit organization of clubs serving more than 51 million members in the United States and Canada. As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its members a full range of travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services through a network of 1,100 offices, as well as its full-service Web site: AAA.com. Since its founding, AAA has been an advocate for the motorist and traveler, continually lobbying for driver and passenger rights, fair laws and safer vehicles and roads. Through affiliations with motoring clubs around the world, AAA provides benefits to members traveling in 130 countries on six continents. Today, 25 percent of all U.S. households have a AAA membership. Nearly 27 percent of all North American passenger vehicles belong to AAA members.

Winterize a Car - Battery

Jeffrey Boone from AAA Mid-Atlantic's approved auto repair department demonstrates how to winterize a car, including the battery.

Print

Transcripts

Jeffrey Boone: Hi! I am Jeff Boone with AAA Mid-Atlantic's approved auto repair department. And when winterizing your car preparing it for winter, one of the things that you need to pay attention to is the battery. Today I am going to show you a few things that you can do on your own. One of which is first of all, checking the fluid content in the battery. This battery is actually a serviceable battery. More than 50% of the vehicles today have a maintenance free battery and so you will not be able to check them. But for those that you can, it is simply prying off the cap to get to the hydraulic fluid using a Hydrometer to test the battery which is simply like a turkey baster. So you squeeze the bob, insert into the battery where the fluid is, fill the hydrometer so that you can then read whether or not this battery is in good shape. It gives you a low, a fair and a good reading area; identified by red, blue and green. This one is still under green which means that the hydraulic fluid inside of it is still in good shape.

Now, be very careful this is acid. You don't want this getting in your eyes, you don't want this to get anywhere near your body contact. If it does, simply wash it off with clean soap and water immediately. The next thing I would advise you to do is to inspect your battery terminals. One of the things that you need to look for on battery terminals is whether or not it has a fungus looking growth; growing around between the terminals and the battery post. That would be corrosion caused by acid leak or caused by hydrolysis from the battery. It can be cleaned off very simply. You could remove the battery terminal simply by loosening the attaching bolt, twisting the terminal, and lifting it up. Once you have removed that and always remove the negative battery terminal first. And that would be the last one which you have installed. The reason being is if you were to remove the positive first or install it last, it could shock the system and cause damage. This is a simple cleaner that you can purchase at any auto part store. It has an internal brush to clean the battery post. Simply put it on, twist it a few times and you will get a nice clean battery post. It also has an internal brush which is used to clean the battery terminal on the inside, same thing; put it in the terminal, twist it around a few times, make sure it is cleaned off, any corrosion that was inside the terminal. Once that is done you simply re-install the terminal. And once you have tighten the battery terminal down, just grab a hold of it and make sure that it is not loosen anyways, that you ensure that you have good contact between the battery and the terminal. Make sure that you have installed all the caps and they are air tight and install any covers that come equipped on the vehicle. There is another test that can be done to the battery which is actually testing whether or not the the battery can withstand the load. However, it must be done by a qualified professional to make sure that your battery is going to last through the winter. This should be done about every three months or easiest way to remember is to do it on an old chained cycle. When you have you have your all change done, ask them to test the battery.

Now let's talk about tires.

Winter Survival Tips

Winter Survival Tips

Winter Survival - Hypothermia

Winter Survival - Hypothermia

Winter Survival - Shelter

Winter Survival - Shelter

Winter Survival - Avoiding Dehydration

Winter Survival - Avoiding Dehydration

Winter Survival - Frost Bite

Winter Survival - Frost Bite

Winter Survival - Survival Gear

Winter Survival - Survival Gear

Best Affordable Winter Beach Vacations

Best Affordable Winter Beach Vacations

Getting Into Winter Workout Mode

Getting Into Winter Workout Mode

Tips For Exercising Outdoors In Winter

Tips For Exercising Outdoors In Winter

Preparing Ornamental Grasses for Winter

Preparing Ornamental Grasses for Winter