For auto body, winter care relies on best practices

KALONA — Snowy season car maintenance often brings to mind ideas of falling tire pressure, gelled up diesel engines or dying car batteries. While any of those can be a headache, the weather also has an impact on the non-moving, outside parts of a vehicle.

Salty roads, brittle snow scrapers and hail or sleet can do a number on a car’s paint job, and slippery roads can cause dents or scratches for even the most cautious drivers.

At CS Autobody in Kalona, owner Chris Swartzendruber says most of those problems can’t be prevented ahead of time. Instead, he encourages drivers to be more mindful about their maintenance during the season.

“As far as taking care of your paint, there’s nothing you can do really, if it’s going to snow,” Swartzendruber said. “It’s just keeping it clean before and after, that’s the best thing I can say as far as car care … it’s going to see whatever elements it’s going to see.”

  Buy Photo

It’s about the little things. Swartzendruber suggests washing your car frequently in the winter, to deal with the salt and the sludge. When doing so, he recommends wiping it dry afterward to ensure the doors don’t freeze shut or the handles freeze down, either of which make it easier to damage the car.

When wiping off snow, Swartzendruber advises that drivers use soft-bristled brushes or scrapers, since other options can badly scrape up the paint.

“I’ve seen people use brooms and that sort of thing, and that’ll scratch your paint,” he said. “I have a scraper in my truck that has a soft-bristled truck, that’s what it’s designed for. It’s not as harsh as what a broom would be.”

Wipers should be left up overnight, to ensure they don’t freeze to the windshield, where they can tear apart. Checking on the supply of wiper fluid doesn’t hurt either.

And of course, driving carefully helps prevent the minor bang-ups that often bring people into CS Autobody.

“People drive too fast, that’s why we’re in business,” he said. “You’ve got to give yourself more time to get wherever you’re going. I know that sounds kind of cliché, but you get that first or second snow and people are driving too fast, they’re hitting stuff all over the place, ending up in the ditch, stuff like that. It didn’t have anything to do with what kind of shape their car was in, they just weren’t properly operating it.”

  Buy Photo

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com