Here in Minnesota, we have 4 distinct seasons – spring, summer, fall, and winter. And with each season change, there are a few things I like to do to my vehicle to make sure it’s at its best. First, I always check my manual to see if there are any routine maintenance needing to be done. Am I coming up on a 30k checkup? If so, it’s time to call the dealership and set up an appointment.
Another thing I’ll do is walk around my vehicle and see if there are any dings that need to be taken out. I bought a protection warranty with my new vehicle last spring and I want to stay on top of it and get all those dings taken care of before they become than just a ding.
Next, check those windows! Are there any chips that need to be addressed? I recently had a piece of gravel fly up and chip my windshield. I need to get it fixed before this cold weather moves in and it goes from being an itty bitty chip to a full-blown crack across my whole windshield.
Check the tires, is there sufficient tread to get through winter? Now this one is my fall/winter checklist. In the spring and summer I’m not as concerned but in the winter I need good tread. We live right off the St. Croix and I drive the bluffs every single day, they are hilly and can be icy when colder weather is present. If I notice my tread is getting low, which it is, I start to look for tires. There are usually some pretty decent deals in the fall if you keep your eyes open and stay aware of what sales are going on.
I also like to splurge and get my car detailed in the fall. We take several road trips throughout the summer and no matter how hard I try to keep the car clean there is always room for improvement. For this, I like to take my Journey to a full-service car wash and have them shampoo the inside and detail it so it’s fresh and clean for winter.
Taking a little extra time now to take care of my Dodge Journey means I will have a smoother fall. There shouldn’t be any surprise maintenance bills.
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