I’m not sure whether this is IMHO material - it could turn into that, but I’m pretty sure there’s a factual answer.
I moved a month ago from Knoxville, TN to Youngstown, OH, and winter is rapidly approaching for my poor car (and my poor self, fully acclimated to mild winters after 10 years in the south). What do I need to have done before freezing temperatures set in?
The car is a 1994 Suzuki Swift GT, 122,000 miles, manual transmission and front wheel drive, in case that makes a difference.
What I’m pretty sure about: radiator flush and fill, check the battery (although it was new last winter - January, I think- so I think it should be ok), check the tires - the rear two were new in July, the front two new less than a year ago, so I’m pretty sure they’ll be ok. Oil change - because it’s due for one anyway, so I ought to have it done while everything else is being done.
I know the timing belt will be due for a change after another 10k-20k miles - the manual says it should be done about every 60,000 miles, but it was done at around 80k last time, instead of 60k.
What else? The last time I lived where there’s cold weather, I didn’t have a car so I didn’t have to worry about any of this. Hoses? Those connectors on top of the battery that the things (yes, my technical vocabulary is astounding) attach to? The things that actually attach to the battery? I really want to get this all done relatively soon. That way, I know it’s done and I just have to keep up basic maintenance during the winter.
