5 Summer Tips For Maintaining Your Volkswagen

Jun 19, 2017

Summer time is upon us. That means vacations, road trips, and stepping away from it all. But, it also means relying on your car in different circumstances than your normal commute. The familiar routine of car pooling to school and work is replaced with the potential for adventure or escaping the stress of your busy schedule. That is why we recommend taking a few precautions before getting behind the wheel and exploring unfamiliar territory in your Volkswagen this Summer. The last thing you want is to have a vacation ruined by car trouble. To help you avoid that, here are five summer tips for maintaining your Volkswagen.

Check your tires

Summer in South Louisiana means a lot of rain. Driving in the rain is difficult to begin with; and is even more so when you don’t have proper traction. Check to make sure you have enough tread on your tires. Most experts recommend “the penny test.” Hold a penny with Abraham Lincoln’s head facing out. Place it in the tread of your tires. If there’s enough tread to cover Lincoln’s head, you don’t need new tires.

Replace your windshield wipers

With the rain we experience in South Louisiana, you want to make sure your wiper blades are functioning properly. Did they age or rot over the winter? When you turn them on, do they clearly wipe away all the water, or do they leave streaks that can impair your vision? If you see any streaks or water left behind after the blades pass, it is time to change your windshield wipers.

Check your headlights

Though the days are longer in the summer, you still want to make sure your headlights are working properly. Not just for night time, but this goes back to the rain as well. If your wipers are on, your headlights should be on as well, and having both headlights working helps make sure that other drivers can see you as well as you can see them. Along with making sure your headlights work, you also want to make sure the casing they are in is clean and unobstructed. If there is any condensation built up inside, you want to wipe that out to guarantee your headlights perform at their optimum level.

Check your air conditioning

We don’t have to tell you how hot and humid it gets around here. This, of course, means your air conditioner will be put to the test throughout the summer months. If you feel that it isn’t blowing out air that is cold enough, or if the fan isn’t blowing as hard as it should (or is making a noise), you want to have that serviced by a professional sooner rather than later. The last thing you want when heading out on vacation is to have the a/c go out as soon as you hit the road.

Check your coolant

Along with your air conditioner being tested, the cooling system for your engine is put to the test during the summer. Fortunately, we are coming out of a relatively mild winter, so you shouldn’t have experienced any problems, but you want to check your coolant levels to make sure there are no leaks, and everything is in working order.

When you schedule regular maintenance through Southwest Volkswagen, we help you stay on top of these and many other items before they become a reason for concern. If you have not been serviced regularly, you can easily schedule an appointment and get your car ready for the summer in one easy visit to Southwest Volkswagen.