How to help stay safe while driving during Storms and Heavy Rains

Parts avatar suggests some tips by which you can avoid certain accidents during storms and rains

Driving in Storm and rain can be dangerous. It can be hard to see the road and air pressure and water also alter the handling of your car. The dark clouds and strong winds pose grave threat to your vehicle. To get where you need to reach safely in storms or heavy rains, its better to plan ahead and check your auto parts. Sometimes its better to stay off the road until the weather clears, but if it’s very urgent then you can take cautions.

To help drivers cope with bad climate, Parts avatar suggests some car care tips so you can ensure that your car is ready for any season.

Let us read about some parts to be checked upon before getting on the road.

HEAD LIGHTS WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELDS

In bad weather, visibility is the first matter of concern for the driver. A lot of car owners do not pay attention to the wiper blades of cars, windshields, headlights and windows. Make sure these auto parts are clean as they can hinder your visibility on the road. Clean the windshield of car at least once a month. Check your headlights if they are working properly.

Check to see if your electric windows are working.

WINDSHIELD WIPERS

The worn out rubber on wiper blades will not only fail to clear the rain drops but also would leave scratches on the windshield. Ensure that the vehicle’s wipers are working fine at any speed. Rubber wiper blades wear out by time, leading to streaks or patches on the windshield.

It is better to change the rubber on the wiper blade after one year for better visibility in rains and storms. If you notice cracks or chunks on rubber, you can wipe it off with the help of alcohol for the time being.

The motor which runs the wipers also wear out timely, so check it out and replace if necessary. Check the washer fluid level and fill it if necessary. You can also install car's washer fluid level sensors to detect low level of water.

BRAKES

When it comes to driving, brakes of a car cannot be ignored. Ignoring brakes can cost your life. Check your brakes thoroughly.

Make sure that the brake pads are still working properly and still provide friction material. A lot of mishaps happen on road due to brake failure. Sooner or later you will have to decide what level of repair does your  car's brake pads and auto brake shoes need.

Due to friction and thermal energy they are highly prone to wear and tear. Brake pads and brake disc work together in order for your car to stop or slow down.

If your brake fluid is not up to the required level and is dirty, it means you need to change your car’s brake fluid.

TIRES

Tires are often overlooked. Make sure they are properly inflated. The tread of the tire creates grip on the road by channeling debris, mud and water away from contact patch. By time, the tread wears down and the tire starts to slip or spin on wet surfaces.

Your wheels should be properly aligned to avoid potholes and bumps.

 While checking tires you can consider the following points:

1. Maintain tire pressure as recommended by the manufacturer.

2. Ensure that your spare tire is in working condition.

3. Treads must be of depth minimum 2 mm otherwise there would be danger of skid and slip on the road.

4. Good treads also prevent hydroplaning so make sure your tire’s tread is in good condition.

BATTERY

Your car would run as long as your battery is fine. Mostly battery related problems occur in rainy season or hailstorms. An immense pressure is on battery from wipers, headlights, air conditioning and even radio. Make sure your battery is working fine. Turn off unnecessary applications like radio, gps and even air condition wherever necessary. Headlights are very important to work even in day time. Sometimes weather is so bad and dark that it is very hard to see the objects on the road clearly. So headlights consume a lot of battery to operate.

It is better to check your battery if it is fully charged and can get you to your destination without any problem.

You can replace your car battery at aftermarket cheap prices if necessary.

HEADLIGHTS

During storms or rains, it is possible that the visibility is almost zero. Make sure that your headlights, tail lights and indicator lights are working properly. Always turn off additional entertainment applications of your vehicle so that headlights do not go dim and get full battery power. At the time of bad weather, it is necessary for you to stay safe and reach early rather getting entertained.

SAFETY TIPS FOR DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN

1. Avoid hydroplaning on wet roads. If you start to hydroplane somehow, keep both hands on the steering wheel and apply the brakes gradually. Suddenly slamming on the brakes would cause your car to skid.

2. Slow down your car’s speed if you approach puddles. It is also not a wise thing to drive rashly on wet roads as rash riding is always an invitation to death. Always maintain a certain genuine distance between your car and the most immediate car on your front.

3. Keep right and always give pass safely.

4. Avoid using cruise control. Cruise control is helpful on dry roads but on wet roads it may create problems. Cruise control is not that smart to detect water or wetness of the road. So using cruise control in rainy season may give invitation to hydroplaning.

5. Turn your headlights on to help other vehicles to see you on the road. Even in broad daylight, if the weather suddenly goes bad, you may have to turn the headlights on. So make sure the headlights are working fine.

6. If your engine stalls after driving in rain, do not try to restart it. It may cause severe damage to other parts also. So call for mechanic or professional.

SAFETY TIPS FOR DRIVING IN STORMS

1. Double the distance you would normally maintain from the car ahead of you.

2. Take special care when driving through areas prone to strong winds.

3. be aware of heavy vehicles on the roads. Drivers may have difficulties staying in their lanes.

4. In case you are driving a large vehicle, keep both hands on steering and keep full control of your car.

5. It is better to leave the road than to pull over to the side.

In bad weather whether it is storm or rain, it is better not to resort to some weird driving techniques or skills. Taking extra precautions and slowing your vehicle’s speed is going to add more guarantee to your safety.

For aftermarket auto parts and accessories make sure to visit Partsavatar.ca as it offers one of the best aftermarket auto parts deal across Canada.

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Dont get stuck on a highway with a flat tire on your car. Learn how to safely change a vehicle wheel.

Have you ever faced such situation where you have released that there is no mechanic or garage nearby and your tire need to be replaced immediately? Yes, it is very essential to know the procedure to replace the wheel. Changing the wheel is not a pleasant task or not very tough task either. It depends on situation and not time consuming at all. Hardly it will take 30 minutes if you follow the right procedure. And if some easy tricks can save you from harassment then it’s worth to know. 

First of all make sure that your car is on the flat hard surface Try not to attempt to jack your car on a slanting or delicate surface. In most the cases, you will move your car a short distance in order to place your car onto good surface. If there is no option left a car could be jacked on an extremely slight slanting surface of few degree, yet enough chocks must be utilized. This is to keep the vehicle from rolling when it is lifted on the jack. Chocks ought to be set under the declining side of the tire in the inverse corner of the car from the wheel being altered. You can also use house brick, big rock or wooden block instead of chocks. It is advisable not o jack your car on a delicate surface as the jack will sink into the ground making it unsteady.  And if you feel any complex situation you are advised to call experts.

Now apply the cars parking brake and put it in gear. In case if your car have automatic gear shift it in park and apply parking brake. All travelers must leave the car and remain in a sheltered place to avoid accidents for moving traffic. If accessible put on a high visibility vest and place a cautionary triangle. Do not place a cautionary triangle or other alarming device on freeway. Gather the required equipment like jack, wheel nut wrench and extra wheel. Now you position the jack under the particular point of the car. Typically these will be cut-outs or indentations just behind the front wheels and just in front of the rear wheels. Consult the vehicle hand book if in doubt as this will show the jacking locations.  If a different type of jack is being used then a secure jacking point will need to be found. Consult the vehicle hand book for the manufacturers recommended jacking points. Jack your car marginally to take a portion of the weight off the wheel. Try not to lift the car up so the wheel is off the ground. Utilizing the wheel nut wrench to open each of the nuts marginally. In the event that the vehicle was lifted so the wheel was off the ground at this stage the wheel may turn without the losing the wheel nuts. Having the tire on the ground prevents it from rotating when the nuts are being loosened initially. The car can now be jacked when the wheel is entirely off the ground. It is advisable not to jack the car more than necessary.   

Then you take out the wheel nut and keep it in safer place. Now you take out the flat wheel and replace it by the spare one. The time that the wheel is off the vehicle and is fully supported on the jack should be kept to a bare minimum to reduce the possibility of injury or damage should the jack fail or the vehicle move. The draught from a passing vehicle or strong wind could be sufficient to move the vehicle and make the jack unstable.

Adjust the fixing holes in the extra wheel with the jolt wholes or wheel studs on the wheel center point. The jack may should be raised marginally as a swelled tire will have a more prominent distance across that a punctured tire. Once the wheel is found refit the wheel nuts, hand fixing each until the wheel is held flat against the wheel center point. The bottom of the wheel may should be held into permit the wheel to sit level against the wheel center point. Don't over fix the wheel nuts at this stage. To make sure there is no distortion when you will be re-fitting the wheel the nuts ought to be tightened in order so as to render an even sharing of force. Utilizing the wheel nut wrench tighten the topmost wheel nuts marginally. Transfer to the diagonally opposite nut and tighten it to some extent. Clockwise Move to the nut counter of the first nut and tighten marginally. Follow the process of tightening and moving nut diagonally reverse until all nut have been tighten .This should be repeated until all nuts are as tight as they can be without the wheel turning.

Bring down the jack until the wheel is touching the ground and some weight is on the tire. Follow the above fixing procedure to get the nuts as tight as you can oversee. Bring down the jack gradually until the greater part of the vehicle weight is back on the wheel. At that point keep on lowering the jack until it can be remove from under the car. Care ought to be taken if utilizing a water powered jack as the vehicle may drop rapidly if the discharge system is opened too far. The bringing down for the vehicle should dependably be under control to anticipate harm and harm. 18. Stow the tools recollecting to recover the notice triangle and wheel chocks if utilized. 19. Get yourself and travelers once more into the vehicle and in progress as quickly as time permits. Congrats, you have now effectively changed a wheel at the roadside. It is prescribed that in the wake of driving 50 miles the wheel nuts ought to be checked to guarantee they are still tight. With the wheel nut wrench go round the wheel nuts again as itemized in step 13 to check they are all still tight. Then again take your vehicle to a technician and have them fix the nuts to manufactured specified torque setting.

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