Expert Tips To Make Sure Your Car Runs Perfectly For Summer — And Looks Good Too

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With summer drawing to a close and fall just around the corner, it’s time to give your vehicle some much needed TLC.

Just like you would prepare your vehicle for winter, it’s equally as important to ensure your vehicle is not only primed to take on the elements, but ready to take on whatever summer and fall have to offer. And if you’ve been putting off updating your car for spring while adjusting to this new normal, there’s still plenty of time to give you vehicle a thorough clean.

With more time spent around home this summer, there’s an opportunity to tackle rewarding jobs you’re passionate about, like car maintenance, that you might not have had time to explore in the past. And if you’re spending time making you car run seamlessly, it’s also important to invest in the right products to keep it looking great on the outside, too.

Luckily, Canadian Tire has everything you need from tires to cleaning supplies to help keep your car looking good and functioning at its full capacity. We’ve rounded up the top expert tips for both below.

Invest Where The Rubber Meets The Road

Winter road conditions are tough on tires. According to Canadian Tire Category Business Manager Nastaha Gustajtis, winter tires should be removed when temperatures reach 7 degrees Celsius or above on a consistent basis in favour of a set of all season or performance tires. And if you’ve been putting off your tire change because you haven’t been doing your daily commute, now’s a great time to do it ahead of summer drives.

“Tires are an essential part of your vehicle’s safety and should be inspected for wear and damage on a monthly basis,” Gustajtis explains. “Insufficient tread depth diminishes a tire’s ability to grip the surface and disperse water when driving on wet roads. When the groove depth is reduced, tires lose the ability to push water to the outside of the tire, leaving excess water between the road and your tire. This is known as hydroplaning and it decreases the amount of control you have over your vehicle.”

“You should check your tires for tread depth and anything less than 2/32” indicates you should replace your tires,” she added. “You can check your tread depth using a tread depth gauge and should have your tires rotated every 10,000 km.”

A set of all season tires like the Continental TrueContact Tour Tire All Season Passenger Tires, adjust to the changing temperatures and are well-suited for a variety of road conditions. Not only to they feature New Generation EcoPlus Technology for enhanced wet traction, they also improve your vehicle’s fuel economy and a more comfortable ride.

Perform a Tire Inspection

Tires require monthly inspections to ensure they remain in good condition. Aside from looking for any crack on the sidewalls or treads, be mindful of any bubbles that appear, as they can signal internal damage. Gustajtis recommends checking your tire pressure to not only prevent any flats, but to also improve the life of your tires.

“Under-inflated tires may reduce the life of your tires by 15,0000 km if your tires are under inflated as little as 8 PSI and can also increase your fuel consumption by 4%,” Gustajtis said. “Many of today’s vehicles come equipped with a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) designed to detect under-inflated tires and alert you to them with a dashboard warning light.”

And if you’ve been using your vehicle less, you need to be extra mindful of air pressure, she adds. While your car remains in your driveway or garage, you could be losing air pressure, which could prove dangerous when you return to the road.

Gustajtis suggests using a tire gauge to ensure your tires are within the recommended PSI range for your weight of vehicle.

A multipurpose air compressor like MotoMaster 900A Booster Pack with Air Compressor help make inflating your tires at home easier than ever. Not only does it have a built-in 150 PSI air compressor, it can boost the dead battery of 6 litre (gas) and 2 litre (diesel) vehicles and power USB devices like smartphones, headphones and GoPros. At less than 5 lbs, this is a must-have for any driver to keep in case of emergencies.

Top Up On Fluids

Aside from keeping your windshield clean, windshield wiper fluid helps lubricate your wiper system, preventing pieces from from degrading and breaking. An all season wiper fluid like the Rain-X All Season Windshield Washer Fluid can help prevent scratches to your windshield while promoting larger water beading during wet driving conditions. Perfect for summer driving, Rain-X’s all season formula cuts through dirt, grime and bug splatter.

Get a Professional Wash At Home

Not only does a clean car look good, it’s good for your car, too. Giving your vehicle a thorough wash can help remove dirt, debris and chemicals that can scratch and damage your vehicle’s exterior.
For those who wash their vehicles at home, consider using a power washer, like the Simoniz 1700 PSI Electric Pressure Washer.

Pressure washers use approximately two and a half gallons of water per minute, compared to the eight to 10 gallons per minute from a garden hose. While these tools are multi-functional for around the house use, when it comes to washing cars, this one comes with a foam blaster attachment that will convert any car cleaner, like the Simoniz Wash & Wax into a thick foam, perfect for easy, thorough cleaning.

An essential step when it comes to keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape for summer is to give it a thorough decontaminating wash. It’s important to remove the months of build-up on your car, before you work on repairing any scratches to the paint.

For a professional level detail at home, use a clay bar kit to remove any contaminants like salt, airborne deposits, engrained metal and dust.

Using a clay bar kit like Mothers Clay Bar System, you can use a lubricating spray and a small piece of clay to carefully remove any remaining contaminants that can cause rust and damage over time.

The key to keeping your car looking its best is by ensuring you polish and wax your vehicle twice a year.

Apply a polish, like the Autoglym Super Resin Polish with a polisher to ensure even dispersal, before moving on to a protectant for your vehicle. While there are other alternatives to protecting your car like a sealant or coating, nothing beats the mirror-like finish of a wax. Waxes are easy to apply by hand using a damp microfibre cloth and rubbing in a circular motion.

While you can still wash your car throughout the summer, avoid touching the vehicle as much as possible to protect your car’s finish.

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