How do you get ready for winter? If you’re like most of us, you probably bring the down jackets and spare blankets out of mothballs, make sure your snow boots are in good condition, and stock up on sidewalk salt and snow shovels—not to mention hot chocolate! But it’s just as important to get your Honda car, truck, or SUV ready for the season. Fortunately, Honda of Champaign offers a number of services that are particularly helpful in the winter. Check out our recommended services below, and then schedule your service appointment using our convenient online scheduling tool!
Tires and brakes are two of the most important safety features of your vehicle, and this is especially true in the wintertime. Tires that are low on tread will have less traction, which can be even more dangerous when the road is snowy or icy. Our technicians will perform a tire inspection to ensure that your tires are in good condition; if they need to be replaced, we have many Honda-approved tires in our tire store. We’ll also be glad to perform a brake inspection; if your brake pad linings are running low, we can replace them with new OEM brake pads.
Visibility is an even bigger issue in the winter, so it’s a good idea to pay extra attention to your windshield. Small cracks and chips in the windshield can become much larger with the freeze/thaw cycle, so a windshield crack and chip inspection can help you decide whether to try to patch those chips up or spring for a new windshield. We can also inspect the wiper blades and replace them if necessary and change the windshield washer fluid to a winter blend.
The battery in your Honda has to work harder during the colder months. This means that a battery that might have done the job in summer could leave you stranded in winter. To avoid this, our technicians can check your battery to get a general idea of how much life it has left. If it looks like it won’t last through the winter, we have Honda-approved batteries for sale in our parts store, and we’ll be glad to replace the old battery with one of them.
Having a heater that doesn’t work can be pretty uncomfortable. If you’d rather not shiver all the way to work, bring your Honda in for an HVAC inspection. We’ll do more than just check the heater; we’ll also make sure that the defrost is working, and, if your Honda has seat warmers or steering wheel warmers, we’ll check those. The engine cooling system is closely linked to the HVAC system (since it’s hot coolant that provides heat for the cabin), so we’ll inspect that, too.
It’s always better to be overly prepared than underprepared, which is why we recommend always carrying a roadside safety kit with you. If you don’t already have one in your Honda, pick one up at our parts store when you bring your Honda in for winter services.