Fall Car Care Month: Keep Your Car Running Newer, Longer for Safe Seasonal Driving

BLOOMINGDALE, Ill., Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To kick off Fall Car Care Month on Oct. 1, Firestone Complete Auto Care™ is offering a car care infographic and key tips for consumers to keep their vehicles running newer, longer and to encourage safe seasonal driving.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120927/CL81952-INFO )

"This fall, as changing weather affects driving conditions, proper car care becomes even more important for safe driving. The statistics are startling – although three out of four drivers wash their cars every month, only one in seven correctly checks tire pressure," said Matt Hoskins, president, Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC (BSRO).   

The following tips from Firestone Complete Auto Care for Fall Car Care Month will keep your car road-ready.

As cold weather approaches, the following items should be inspected by a professional:

• Battery cables and terminals (make sure they're not corroded)
• Levels of anti-freeze, oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, automatic transmission fluid and windshield washer fluid
• All belts and hoses (make sure they are free of cracks and defects)
• Air filters
• Condition of windshield wipers
• Lights and turn signals
• Tire treads

Taking care of tires becomes even more important as winter weather rolls in. Stopping on wet roads can take up to four times the normal stopping distance. With a worn tread, tires may hydroplane, skimming over the surface with little or no traction. There are a few steps you can take to ensure your tires are in good shape:

• Use the penny test to inspect your car's tire treads:
  • Insert a penny into the tread, Lincoln's head down.
  • If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, the tread is worn and the tire probably needs to be replaced.
  • Also, take a good look at your tires. Are there signs of uneven tread wear? That could indicate under-inflation, unbalanced tires or misaligned wheels.
• Rotate your tires according to the schedule in your vehicle's maintenance guide — usually about every 5,000 miles.

In addition, the Car Care Council revealed the following statistics about consumer auto care in a recent study, showing many cars on the road need a checkup:

• Fifty four percent of cars have low tire pressure.
• Thirty eight percent of cars have low or dirty engine oil.
• Twenty eight percent of cars have inadequate cooling protection.
• Nineteen percent of cars need new belts.

Need to keep track of your maintenance schedule? Download the Firestone RideMinder App for iPhone and Android to find inexpensive gas, keep track of your service history, access special offers, schedule an appointment at your local Firestone Complete Auto Care store and more.

About Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC:

Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC (BSRO) is headquartered in Bloomingdale, Ill., and operates the largest network of company-owned automotive service providers in the world — more than 2,200 tire and vehicle service centers across the United States — including Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus™, ExpertTire™ and Wheel Works store locations. Credit First National Association and Firestone Complete Fleet Care™ operations are also part of BSRO. BSRO is a member of the Bridgestone Americas family of companies.

SOURCE Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC