After months of Houston heat, we’re finally getting a taste of fall. Rain is moving back into the forecast, and cooler temperatures are on the way, making now a great time to think about fall car care in Houston.
Before you celebrate by rolling down the windows, this change in weather is also a good reminder to give your vehicle a quick check.
Houston’s long, hot summers are tough on batteries, tires, rubber components, and fluids. Add wet roads and cooler mornings, and problems that were easy to overlook during the summer can suddenly become much more noticeable.
Here are a few things we recommend checking as Houston transitions into fall.
Check Your Tires Before the Roads Get Wet
It doesn’t take several inches of standing water to create a dangerous situation.
Your tire tread is designed to channel water away from underneath the tire so the rubber can maintain contact with the road. As the tread wears down, the tire can’t move water out of the way as effectively. You don’t need several inches of standing water to hydroplane. At higher speeds, even a relatively small amount of water can cause badly worn tires to lose contact with the pavement.
That’s especially important in Houston, where a sudden downpour can quickly leave water collecting on our roads.
And tread depth isn’t the only thing we look at. Knowing when it’s time to change your tires is important because uneven tire wear can reduce wet-weather traction even when part of the tire still appears to have plenty of tread.
Remember that tire pressure drops as the outside temperature drops. If your tire pressure warning light suddenly appears after our first cooler morning, the temperature change may be the reason—but the pressures should still be checked rather than simply resetting the light.
Make Sure Your Wipers Can Actually Clear the Windshield
Houston sunshine and heat can be brutal on windshield wipers.
Even if you haven’t used them much lately, months of sitting against a hot windshield can leave the rubber hard, cracked, streaking, or chattering.
You don’t want to discover that during a Houston downpour.
Turn your wipers on and use the windshield washer/mist function before the rain arrives. Make sure they clear the windshield without leaving large streaks or areas you can’t see through.
Don’t forget the windshield washer fluid, either.
Test Your Lights
Rain doesn’t just make roads slippery—it reduces visibility.
Take a minute to make sure your headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and taillights are working properly. Cloudy skies and heavy rain can make vehicles much harder to see, so working exterior lighting helps you see what’s ahead and helps other drivers see you.
After it rains, take another look at your exterior lights. If you notice condensation or water collecting inside a headlight or taillight housing, don’t ignore it. Moisture can damage bulbs, electrical connections, and other components inside the light assembly and can lead to premature failures.
A very light temporary haze can sometimes occur with modern vented light assemblies and disappear on its own. But droplets, standing water, or condensation that doesn’t clear can indicate a problem with the housing, seal, vent, or another point where water is getting in.
Don’t Forget About Your Defroster
This is one people often don’t think about until they need it.
When temperatures and humidity change, your windshield can fog quickly. Your vehicle uses the HVAC system—including the A/C system—to remove moisture from the air and help clear the windshield.
You can do a quick check before the rain arrives. Start your vehicle, select the front defrost setting, and turn up the fan. You should feel strong airflow coming from the vents along the base of the windshield. Turn on the rear defroster too and make sure its indicator comes on. If your rear window is fogged, watch to make sure the glass begins clearing across the defroster grid.
If you notice weak or no airflow at the windshield, your windshield takes an unusually long time to clear, or your defroster doesn’t seem to work correctly, it’s worth having the system checked.
Summer Heat May Have Weakened Your Battery
Houston summers are extremely hard on automotive batteries.
A battery can seem perfectly fine during warm weather and then struggle when temperatures begin changing. If your vehicle has been cranking slower than normal, you’ve needed a jump recently, or your battery is several years old, now is a good time to have it tested.
AAA recommends having your battery and charging system tested as part of preparing your vehicle for colder weather. A battery test is quick, and it’s much better to find a weak battery in the shop than when the car won’t start.
Check Your Coolant Before Cold Weather Arrives
We may still be a while away from freezing temperatures in Houston, but now is a good time to make sure your cooling system is ready before you actually need that protection.
Coolant—often called antifreeze—does more than help keep your engine from overheating during a Houston summer. The correct coolant mixture also provides freeze protection when temperatures drop and helps protect components inside the cooling system from corrosion.
The coolant level alone doesn’t tell you whether you have adequate freeze protection. The concentration can be tested to determine the approximate temperature your coolant is protected to.
Too much water in the mixture reduces its freeze protection. That can become a problem when colder weather eventually arrives. And if the coolant is old, contaminated, the wrong type, or overdue for service, that can create other cooling-system problems as well.
Don’t wait until Houston has a freeze in the forecast to find out your coolant isn’t properly protected. Checking it now gives you plenty of time to address a problem before cold weather arrives.
Pay Attention to Anything New After the Rain
Rain can sometimes reveal problems you haven’t noticed before.
Maybe your vehicle pulls or feels unstable on wet roads. Maybe you hear a belt squeal when it’s damp outside. You may also notice your brakes squealing or making noise, especially during the first few stops after the vehicle has been sitting in wet or humid weather. A small amount of surface rust can form on the brake rotors and may cause temporary noise that goes away after a few stops.
However, brake noise that continues, gets worse, or is accompanied by grinding, vibration, pulling, or a change in how the brake pedal feels should be inspected.
Water may also get inside the vehicle, a warning light may suddenly appear, or you may notice the car doesn’t stop or handle the way you’re used to.
Don’t automatically assume it’s “just because it’s raining.”
If something changes noticeably with the weather, let us know exactly when it happens. Those details can be extremely helpful when we’re diagnosing the problem.
Fall Car Care in Houston Doesn’t Need to be Complicated
Preparing your car for fall in Houston isn’t the same as preparing for winter somewhere up north.
We’re not talking about snow tires and engine block heaters.
For us, it’s about making sure your vehicle is ready for wet roads, changing temperatures, cooler mornings, and everything the summer heat may have taken a toll on.
At Chimney Rock Car Care, we inspect your vehicle to catch concerns before they leave you stranded or turn into larger repairs. We can check your tires, battery, lights, wipers, fluids, brakes, and other important systems while your vehicle is here.
If something needs attention, we’ll show you what we found and help you understand what needs to be addressed now and what can wait.
Chimney Rock Car Care serves drivers throughout Houston, including the Galleria, Bellaire, West University, River Oaks, Memorial, Meyerland, Spring Branch, Greater Uptown, and surrounding areas.
Ready to make sure your vehicle is prepared for Houston’s changing weather? Give us a call at 713-840-8781 or schedule your appointment with Chimney Rock Car Care.
