Spring Care for Your Truck

Just as it is important to have a maintenance regimen to prepare your truck for the winter, it is also important to have a maintenance checklist in the spring to assess any impact from the previous winter and to prepare for the hot Texas summer months to come. Performing these annual vehicle maintenance procedures and inspections will help catch any small problems before they become larger, more costly ones.

Some of these you can do on your own, but others benefit from a more trained eye. The simplest action is to simply have Ewing Buick GMC perform a spring maintenance check on your truck. Our service professionals know just what to look for in all maintenance procedures. Here are some of the procedures and inspections that should be part of any spring maintenance routine.

Inspecting or Changing Your Tires

The use of snow or winter tires isn’t common in the Plano area unless one frequently travels to more snowy regions. If this includes you, this is obviously a good time to switch back to regular tires. If your truck has year-round tires, this is the time to give them an inspection to look for any surface gouges, abrasions, or embedded objects that may cause a slow or future leak. Heat is harder on tires than cold so damage that was benign in the winter could create problems as temperatures rise. Also, check the tread and make sure there is a depth greater than 5/32 inches around each tire. Also, keep in mind the age of your tires.  Start checking for oxidation and dry rot after 5 years. Experts recommend tire replacement after 6 years and definitely after 10 years regardless of tread life.

Leak inspection

Depending on where you park your truck, it may be difficult to identify any leaks at all or what a visible leak consists of. When you know your truck is going to sit for a day or two, place an appropriately sized sheet of cardboard under your vehicle’s engine assembly, then let it sit idle for a day or two before removing it. If you identify an oil or coolant leak, it could indicate a bad seal or damaged head gasket. Water vapor or steam-like smoke (when it is not cold outside) in your exhaust could indicate the same. Unless you are particularly experienced with auto mechanics and have all the right tools on hand, replacing a gasket is best left to professional mechanics.

Fluid Inspection and Change

Winter forces your engine to work a bit harder, and the resulting condensation and moisture buildup can create wear. Slight fluid losses may be normal but a significant drop in fluid levels warrants investigation. If not evident on your cardboard test, the missing fluid could be leaking only during operation or consumed inside the engine. If your (non-synthetic) oil is particularly dark It and the filter are likely ready for replacement regardless of how many miles you should have left. 

Battery Inspection or Replacement

Cold causes your battery to work harder as the lower temperatures slow down the chemical processes that are necessary to carry a charge. Older batteries have more trouble recovering from this. Don’t let stress in the winter lead to a battery failure in the spring or summer. 

Change Your Wipers

Colder weather may have hardened your wipers making them prone to streaking, just as Plano’s spring rains give them a workout. Spring is a good time to have them replaced and make sure your washer reservoir is full to deal with those summer nights of bug splatter. 

Give your Brakes the Attention they Deserve

The most important safety feature in your car will work even harder in the summer months to come. Summer is also a time of road trips, increased road construction, more bicycles sharing the road, and inexperienced young drivers out of school. It all leads to spring as a good time to have everything in your brake system looked at, including pads, discs, lines, fluid, related electrical components, and sensors. 

Replace the Cabin Filter 

Spring is allergy season and it can be easy to forget that your truck has a cabin filter to help you and your passengers with that. If you haven’t changed out your cabin filter in a while, an old, saturated cabin filter may cause more harm than good. 

Other Routine Inspections

A spring maintenance check at Ewing Buick GMC includes other less season-specific inspections. Such as checking headlight and wheel alignment, checking that fluid drains are not clogged, or simply removing leaves and other accumulated debris from the engine compartment and the vents, before they degenerate into sludge. Again, our service professionals are the most qualified individuals in the area to perform all these tasks. Consider contacting Ewing Buick GMC’s service center to schedule an appointment today to get your truck fully ready for the summer ahead.