MACON, Ga. — Before you start your engine, 13WMAZ wants to make sure you are taking care of your vehicle this winter.
AAA says winter can pose a risk to any vehicle during colder months, so here are some easy tips to keep you up and running.
They say an important acronym to remember is BTW, which stands for Batteries, Tires, and Windshield -- the three key things you need to focus on.
At Raffield Tire, they say it's not uncommon during the winter time for the tire air pressure light to come on your dashboard, so the best thing you can do is go to your nearest mechanic or nearest gas station and put some more air in your tires.
When it comes down to your batteries, if they are more than three-years-old, you should charge or replace them.
When it comes to your windows, David Googe with Raffield Tire recommends taking extra time to defrost it and giving your windshield wipers a break.
"Turn the car on, let it idle [and] get up to temperature, turn the defrost on [and] that way when [you] go out to get in the car, at least it's broken up. That way when you turn the wiper blades on, it's just going to wipe those sheets off as opposed to dragging those sheets across that rough ice," Googe said.
Other tips are to make sure you keep a quarter tank of gas in your car. Googe says if you don't, you'll end up with an expensive problem.
"When the motor runs, obviously an electric motor is going to get warm when you put gas in it, it shocks it with that cold fuel coming out the ground and it can almost instantly ruin the fuel pump," Googe said.
Lastly, Googe says keeping your vital fluids topped off will keep your car running this winter.
"Everybody knows that you should take care of your coolant and your engine coolant, so we have been having a lot of people calling in and coming in for coolant flushes and things like that, which is extremely important," Googe said.
He added that it's always good to get your oil changed regularly because that’s when mechanics can make sure your car is ready for any winter weather.