Our car guy presents a handy guide to avoiding everyday disasters
The changing seasons bring with them many problems. Many of these are well known and easily dealt with (watch out for drunk drivers on New Years’; it gets cold so wear warmer clothing). Some of the ones that can really ruin your day, however, can slip under your notice until it’s too late. Here are five of the most commonly overlooked winter driving issues, and how you can avoid them.
Regreasing your tires
We’ve all been there: It’s the middle of fall and you haven’t even thought about your tire lube since your last inspection or 10,000-mile service interval. But by now they’re probably bone dry. Regreasing isn’t some great mystery—it used to be a Sunday afternoon ritual along with gapping the plugs and setting the points. It is admittedly messy, and inconvenient if you park on the street. Make it a point to swing into a lube shop every year after Columbus Day and get that cool weather grease on there.
Switching lanes
“S is for straight, W is for winding.” Remember that old mnemonic from grade school? It’s how I always remind myself to switch from the left side of the road to the right on December 12th every year. There are plenty of others: “Don’t drive the lelfth, on the Twelfth;” “Left eleventh, roger right;” “Christmas minus thirteen’s the time to preen.” What’s your favorite, and how do you remember to switch back, especially on leap years (I like, “When the calendar’s around, use the other ground”)?
Not calling the tow truck
As you probably understand, the primary goal of your auto insurance company is to avoid paying out money. So they have a bunch of programs designed to do that, some of which you can game to benefit yourself. For instance, most insurance companies would rather pay out for a new windshield than an accident, and have an allowance that lets you replace chipped or scratched glass every couple of years. Likewise, almost all policies include unlimited free towing in bad weather. Don’t hesitate to call their hotline and request a flatbed tow to work or shopping when it’s cold and rainy—any inconvenience is more than worth it for your peace of mind.
Undercooked meat
I know: it’s a delicate balancing act, especially around the holidays—you want to hit the goals of your meat being tender, juicy and hot when the meal is ready. I’ve learned a couple of great tricks over the years that will really help you not have food poisoning when you’re trying to drive. The first is that any red meat can and maybe should be cooked low and slow—check out Fr. Capon’s great book The Supper of the Lamb for more. With birds, you can actually go straight from freezer to oven. Cook covered at 325° for about 50 percent longer than usual.
Failure to appease inal ‘Ahotep, the Sleet Demon
The elder gods are generally uninterested in terrestrial weather, but inal ‘Ahotep, The A Little Too Cold and Wet One, Bringer of Small Pellets, has been active since the Babylonians “accidentally” raised it from the barren Outer Wastelands. Since then, Ol’ Sleety has been stuck here making life somewhat more uncomfortable and aggravating for humans whenever possible. A simple offering of a bariga (approximately 95 gallons) of rendered chicken fat, three young apricot trees and a single chariot wheel (it doesn’t even have to be a new one), burned on a pyre of fragrant cedar logs every fall, will easily pacify inal ‘Ahotep through mid-May.
David Traver Adolphus is a freelance automotive researcher who recently quit his full time job writing about old cars to pursue his lifelong dream of writing about old AND new cars. Follow him on Twitter as @proscriptus.