Do You Really Need To Winterize Vehicles In Montana?

To Winterize In Montana Or Not To Winterize... How Can That Even Be A Question?

I was reading an article by our newest announcer, Chris Cards. In that article he said he spoke to a Montanan that said they'd never winterized their car in all the years they've been here and they're fine. (You can peek at that article here. How Snow Can Be Your Financial Ruin)

Holy frozen radiator. What?

Then I thought, maybe Dad was wrong. Maybe winterizing is old school. Nope. Ole Rog was right. As he often was about vehicles and vehicle maintenance.

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My hunch is this person has someone else who does vehicle maintenance or they say just do whatever needs to be done.

I still can't believe someone said that to Chris and it wasn't a joke for a Montana newbie.

Nine Easy Steps To Winterize Your Montana Rig

From Kelly Blue Book:

• Check your tires. Check the tread and make sure that Lincoln's head is not all visible when you put your penny in 10 or more different places on the tread. If you can see Lincoln's head, then your tires are dangerous for winter driving. If a portion is hidden, you're good to go for winter driving
• After you check the tread check the air pressure in your tires. The best time to check the pressure is after your car has been sitting for a half an hour or more. You can find the recommended pressure for your tires either on the door jam, trunk lid or owner's manual
• Have your car battery checked for power. Especially if you've had to jump it a time or 2 this year
• Get an oil change. It's good to have a lighter weight oil in the winter. It helps ease the strain on your battery
• Check your coolant. Coolant is important for both summer and winter in Montana. Not enough coolant can cause engine damage. You can do this yourself, but I prefer someone who does it for a living to make sure your rig is protected for the winter
• Check your belts, hoses, and breaks. You do not want to get stranded in a Montana snow storm
• Check your wiper blades.
• Check your windshield wiper fluid. There are winter versions of this that can make driving a lot safer
• Have a winter survival kit in your car. Even though I never go anywhere, I have a heater candle, matches, food, blankets, toilet paper, tools, bags and more in the storage compartment of the SUV. You just never know. I'd rather throw out old protein bars and crackers than wish I had food so that I survived

And for the love of running winter vehicles, don't tell a new to Montana person that they don't need to winterize their cars. My goodness. What would your dad think?