7 Tips How to Prepare Your Saab for Winter

How to make your car ready for winter

Winter is here for many and it is a good idea to look over your Saab so that it is ready to face the winter with good conditions. Below we have put together a guide on what you need to think about for the winter season with your Saab.

Make sure you have good winter tires

When the first slip or snow arrives, many are usually unprepared. Maybe you have had a busy week at work or at home and have missed changing to winter tires, or you have switched to winter tires but it was so long since it was snow or slippery on the roads so it will be an equally big surprise anyway. Then it is of the utmost importance to have good winter tires, so that your Saab takes you safely wherever you go.

By winter tires we mean complete winter tires and rims. Of course, you can have only one set of rims and vary tires on them as well, by submitting them to a tire workshop and ask them to replace the summer tires with winter tires on your rims.

When it comes to winter tires, there are different types of tires. There are friction tires, tires with studs, and all year-round tires. The latter are not to recommended if you drive a lot in snow covered areas, since it’s better to have dedicated snow tires for snow-heavy areas. Stud tires are best suited for icy roads, but of course work even in deep snow as well. Friction tires are becoming more and more popular since they do not wear out as much asphalt particles from the roadway as the studs on stud tires do. On some streets in larger cities, tires with studs are prohibited for this reason. Friction tires have at least as good properties on snowy surfaces as stud tires do, and actually perform only worse than stud tires if it is icy road conditions. So what type of tire you should have depends on what kind of roads your car usually travels on.

If you are unsure about the requirements for tire tread depth or when you are obligated to use winter tires in your country or state, please contact your local government office.

If you want help with tire change or order new winter tires, you can find your nearest authorized service center here.

Check engine and interior heater

If your car has an engine heater and / or interior heater, it may be a good idea to test it before the cold and snow arrive, so that they work properly. The car’s engine heater ensures that your engine is heated and not started cold, which is harmful to the car’s engine if it happens frequently. The car’s interior heater ensures that your car is warm inside when you leave, so you don’t have to freeze in the car before the heat comes on. On diesel cars there are so-called diesel heaters which, instead of using electricity from an external source, use the car’s diesel fuel to heat the car before you leave.

If you have problems with your car’s engine or interior heater or want to get one for the winter, you can find your nearest authorized service center here.

Check the car’s battery

The car’s battery plays an incredibly important role in your car. The battery ensures that your car’s starter kicks on the actual combustion engine of your car. And also provides power to all the lights of the car and all the conveniences inside the car. In the winter, the car’s starter needs to work extra hard as it is harder to start a cold engine than a warm one, and therefore the battery must be able to provide enough power for this. Also, if you only drive short distances with your car, your battery does not charge as much as it does during long-distance driving. Then it is extra important that you have a good battery during winter driving. You can charge up your car’s battery by driving a longer distance once in a while. Make sure your battery is in good condition by testing whether the car is easily started even in colder weather. Also check for dirt at the battery poles.

We have previously written a comprehensive guide on car service where we go through more points to consider in order to have as reliable a car as possible. If you want to read more about this, you can find the guide here.

If you need to change your battery, you can find your nearest authorized service center here.

Have enough coolant fluid

The coolant in the car ensures that the engine works optimally and that no parts of the engine freeze during the winter. Therefore, it is very important to have enough coolant in your car. The level of coolant should be between the two lines on the container. What kind of coolant you should use is stated in your car’s instruction manual. Never overfill with coolant, as the liquid expands during heat and an over-filled container can easily explode, causing all coolant to run out and the engine to overheat.

We have previously written a comprehensive guide on car service where we go through more points to consider in order to have as reliable a car as possible. If you want to read more about this, you can find the guide here.

If you need to replace coolant on your car or book a service, you can find your nearest authorized service center here.

Check the car’s lights

Do all the lights on the car work? Sometimes a light bulb can break and it may not always be so high up on the to-do list to replace the car’s light bulb. But when winter comes and it gets darker outside, it is extra important to have adequate lighting on your car. Therefore, look over all the lights and especially the high beam lights. Do the headlights and high beams have a correct light image? Are the lights too high or too low?

If you need to replace a light bulb on your car or if you need to do service on your car, you can find your nearest authorized service center here.

Fill up washer fluid and look over the wiper blades

During the winter months when it is very salty and slushy on the roads, more washer fluid is consumed than in the summer. Therefore, be sure to have plenty of washer fluid in the car and preferably an extra can in the luggage compartment in case you need to refill while driving. The fact that the windshield wipers are whole and efficient is also important because bad wipers significantly impair visibility and can lead to accidents. Make sure to use washer fluid that can withstand below freezing.

If you need to change windscreen wipers or do other service on your car, you can find your nearest authorized service center here.

Good accessories to have in the car

While preparing for the winter, it is good to have some extra accessories in your car, that both facilitate winter driving as well as assist you if an accident occurs.

Make sure you have a good ice scraper and snow brush in your car, so you can combat frost, ice and snow in the best way.

It’s also a good idea to lubricate the door locks with special oil for car doors, as well as lubricate the door moldings. We have written about this before in our guide on car service, which you can read here.

Starter cables are good to have in the car in case the car’s battery should give up and you need help starting your car together. Or if you need to help someone else start their car.

Snow shovels are good to have with you if you drive a lot in snowy road conditions and happen to drive off the tracks.

First aid kits are always good to have, no matter the season. Make sure you have a good first aid kit in your car in case of an accident.

It’s also good to always carry some blankets and enough warm clothes in the car.

Drive carefully on the winter roads!

Find your nearest authorized service center

Do you need to service your car? Here you can find your nearest authorized service center.

 

 
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