How To Winterize Your Car

How To Winterize Your Car

Now that the coldest months of the year are approaching it's time to get your vehicle winterized.

Engine Oil in the Winter

The oil in your engine changes depending on how hot or cold the engine is running. Because the outside temperatures will influence the internal temperature of your engine, you need to make sure you're using the proper oil for the conditions.

During the winter months, if you live where temperatures get below freezing, you'll want to switch over to thinner―less viscous―oil. If you run a 10W-30 in the summer, for example, try moving to a 5W-30 when changing your oil in the fall or winter. If you are in doubt, refer to your manual or give us a call @ 888-688-9708.

Engine Coolant

You car's coolant system is not intended only to keep your engine from overheating. It is also responsible for protecting your valuable engine against corrosion. Before the weather gets too cold, make sure you are using coolant with ethylene glycol to help protect your engine.

Every vehicle requires a certain ratio of coolant to water, and your owner's manual or Lowe Toyota service technician can explain what your engine needs. For most vehicles, a winter ratio is 60% coolant to 40% water. Adjusting this ratio is an important step in winterizing your car, so if you need help, ask one of our experienced and knowledgeable technicians.

Cold Weather and Battery Capacity

It isn't only your engine that doesn't like to start in the winter. Your battery capacity is reduced by the cold weather, too. A thorough inspection of your battery, cables, terminals, and fluid will help you make sure your car is ready for the winter.

Check over the battery cables for cracks and breaks. The terminals should fit snugly with no loose connections. You can check your battery fluid by uncovering the refill hole (or sometimes holes). If the level is below the bottom of the cap, refill with distilled water.

To read the level of charge in your battery, you will need to turn the engine off. Some batteries have a built-in hydrometer eye that tells you the amount of voltage remaining in the battery. If you prefer, a handheld hydrometer can be used to collect the same information.

So, is your battery fresh enough to endure the winter weather? Compare its voltage with these figures:

• 12.6V to 12.8V: full charge

• 12.2V to 12.4V: half charge

• 11.8V to 12.0V: discharged

While you're inspecting your battery, look around for the manufacture date. Knowing how old your battery is can clue you in to when it will begin to lose charge. Shopping for a new battery? Never buy one with a six-month-old manufacture date.

There are a lot of things to look at when winterizing you vehicle and it can be a bit overwhelming. Save yourself both time and money and let the professionals at Lowe Toyota do all the work for you so you can have a peace of mind that your car won't leave you stranded on a cold winters day. Call us today to schedule an appointment with our service department. 

Click here to view our Service Department Staff and hours of operation.

Click here to view our monthly specials.

Service: 888-688-9708
Parts: 888-602-5921

Final Days of Toyotathon

A lot of people ask, "is this really a good time of year to buy a car?" At Lowe Toyota this is the best time to buy. Toyotathon, which only happens once a year, ends on January 2^nd. And at Lowe Toyota January 2^nd also happens to be the date when we’ll close out the year. The bottom line is: we have to sell a bunch of cars between now and January 2^nd.  We need a really strong finish to 2012, so we're marking down prices significantly, on every new and used vehicle on our lot.

And here's more good news: if your credit is currently less than perfect, our finance managers will use every resource available to help you. Our goal is 100% credit approval, and we aim to achieve this goal. You need reliable transportation; we need to sell cars.

Tire maintenance tips from Lowe Toyota

You may give them a kick when checking out a new car but your tires need much more attention than a love tap. Keeping your tires in good condition can do more than just keep you on the road, it will improve gas mileage, vehicle handling and reduce the risk of breakdowns or accidents.

Basics

Knowing what tire size and pressure you need is the beginning to keeping your tires in shape. The vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations can be found in the glove-box, the trunk lid or on the door edge as well as other places. Tire pressure limits can be found in the owner’s manual.

Under Pressure

Tire pressure is important in vehicle handling, gas mileage and load limits. The pressure is the amount of air inside the tire measured in pounds per square inch (psi) or kilopascals (kPa). Keep in mind that an increased load will put more weight on the tires and can affect the pressure limit. Checking the tire pressure is simple with a pressure gauge that can be found at your local auto or hardware store. Some air pumps used to inflate tires may have a pressure gauge as well. The maximum inflation pressure can be found on the tire sidewall or in the vehicle owner’s manual.

Important: In order to reach the correct recommended tire pressure, the tires need to be gauged when they are “cold.” This does not mean outside temperature, rather that you should check the levels when the tires haven’t been driven on for more than three hours. Driving increases the pressure level from heat and friction and will give you an inaccurate reading.

Tread Softly

If you aren’t drifting, you’ll want to get the most traction possible while driving. Changing your tires when the tread has worn is important in preventing accidents or blowouts. There are indicators on your tires that will let you know when they need to be replaced. You’ll see raised pieces of rubber throughout the tire between the grooves. Another way to check is placing a penny upside down between the treads – if you can see Honest Abe’s head – it’s time to change your tires.

Keeping Your Balance

If you don’t want your car doing the shimmy shake, you need to keep your tires balanced. This requires the weights on your tires being placed correctly to counterbalance any heavy spots on the wheel. An alignment will keep the tires correctly positioned with the vehicle’s frame and will keep you driving straight. Both a balance and alignment require equipment found in a mechanic shop and should be completed by a certified technician.

Repair and Rotation

If your tires are all the same size, you can prevent uneven wear and tear by having them rotated. Your owner’s manual should illustrate how and when to rotate your tires. If you have the correct tools and proper knowledge this is a maintenance technique you can perform at home, but relying on a professional’s help is always a good way to go.

Sometimes you may notice low tire pressure even with proper maintenance, which could mean you have a puncture in your tread. A puncture in the tread can be repaired with a tire plug repair kit if the damage isn’t too large. Any puncture to the sidewall cannot be repaired. A nice trick to finding the puncture involves removing the tire from the axle and slowly turning the tire in soapy water. If you see bubbles from the tread, that’s more than likely the place of the puncture. It takes steady hands and muscle to plug the tread so make sure you’re prepared to do the work if you take on the task at home.

Click here to schedule a service appointment online at Lowe Toyota.

Call 478-971-LOWE or 1-888-409-0350, and speak to our friendly staff today! Learn about our latest Toyota Specials, set up an informative test drive, get details on any vehicle, request a brochure, schedule a service appointment, discuss your trade-in or even talk financing on your next car. We are here to help you.

Lowe Toyota is your local Toyota dealer located in Warner Robins, GA. Your satisfaction is our goal!

Still deciding on which Toyota you’d like to be driving? Searching for OEM factory rebates? Are you comparing lease programs or internet specials? Maybe you simply want our best price on a new or used car? For all of this and more, look no further than Lowe Toyota. Our team is made up of professional associates that offer you a no-pressure environment and operate with the quality you’d expect. We look forward to helping you with your next new or used car purchase.

The New Reimagined 2013 Toyota Avalon

A Beautiful, Classy Car

Designed and assembled in America, the 2013 Toyota Avalon is in a class of it's own. There isn't another car out there that has the great looks, hi-tech safety features and upsclale interior featuring plush leather as a standard feature on all 2013 Avalons. Toyota  set out to combine next-level design with signature Avalon comfort and ease.

With its more aggressive styling due to having a lower stance, wraparound headlamps and tail lamps with LED lighting, the 2013 Toyota Avalon is the perfect combination of sport and luxury. The 2013 Avalon is a head turner for sure.

LED Tail-lights

 Unique dashboard design highlighted by a floating center stack trimmed in a metallic finish.

 The 2013 Avalon's IntelliTouch™ technology with Touch-sensitive controls makes pressing the screen options for feature such as climate control and controlling the radio simple and easy.

 The 2013 Avalon features next-generation interior details and a ride as spacious as it is silent. Generous amounts of faux-wood and soft-touch materials cover the dash and door panels.

 The 2013 Avalon will be available at Lowe Toyota sometime before the end of this year. Keep checking back here for more details and if you would like for us to email or call you when it arrives in our dealership click here to fill out the form with your info.


Lowe Toyota of Warner Robins
sales@lowetoyota.com
478.971.5693

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