Before winter: a car checklist for the valley and the passes

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1. Have the battery tested

   The Car Care Council suggests testing a battery before winter in a cold climate and any battery over three years old. A battery check at a participating location gives a reading, not a guess.

2. Read the coolant protection level

   A summer of topping off with plain water thins the mix. Minden averages about two nights a year at or below 0 F (NOAA 1991-2020), and the protection should sit comfortably below that.

3. Replace wiper blades that streak or chatter

   Sun and dust wear rubber all summer. New blades before the first wet snow are cheaper than a cracked windshield from a blade frame scraping glass.

4. Fill with winter-rated washer fluid

   Summer fluid can freeze in the reservoir and the lines. Road spray off I-580 and US-395 empties a reservoir faster than people expect.

5. Check every exterior bulb

   Days are short from November on, so more of the commute happens in the dark. A dead tail light also makes you harder to see in blowing snow.

6. Set tire pressure on a cold morning

   Pressure drops as the air cools. Set it to the door-jamb number, and look at tread depth before you need traction on a snowy Mount Rose Highway.

7. Confirm the oil grade matches the manual

   Most modern engines run a multi-grade such as 0W-20 or 5W-30 all year. If your manual lists a different grade for cold climates, this is the visit to switch.

8. Look at the engine and cabin air filters

   Fall dust and smoke-season ash load both. A clean cabin filter also helps the defroster move air across the windshield.

9. Clean the battery terminals and check the hold-down

   Corrosion on a terminal can mimic a weak battery on a cold start.

10. Pack the trunk for a cold delay

    Blanket, gloves, a scraper, a small shovel, water, snacks, a charged phone cable, and chains or cables if you drive the passes when controls are posted.

11. Plan the drive over the passes

    Check NDOT road conditions before Mount Rose, Kingsbury Grade or Spooner Summit. The valley can be dry while the summit is closed.

The first hard freeze on the valley floor usually lands in late October or early November, and it finds the weak battery in every neighborhood at once. Reno averages 122 nights a year at or below 32 F, Carson City 146 and Minden 188 (NOAA 1991-2020). Those are not arctic numbers, but the swing from a 60 F afternoon to a 20 F morning, repeated through the season, is hard on batteries, rubber and fluids. Working through this list in October puts you ahead of that week.

The three things cold finds first

In our service centers, the first cold week brings the same three problems in the same order: batteries that will not crank, wipers that smear, and bulbs that went out sometime in summer and nobody noticed because it stayed light until nine. All three are quick to check and quick to fix if you catch them in October.

Coolant is the quieter one. It rarely fails dramatically on the valley floor, but a weak mix gives you a heater that blows lukewarm and less margin on the coldest nights in Gardnerville and Minden. A coolant flush brings it back to the manufacturer's ratio.

Which of these the bay covers

A full-service oil change includes our multi-point maintenance check: lights, wiper blades, tire pressure, washer fluid, the air filter, the fluids and an under-hood look. The battery check is available at participating locations. New wiper blades and bulbs go on in the bay.

Tires themselves, snow tires and chains are a tire shop's job. We set the pressure and tell you if the tread looks low.

Do it before the rush

The busiest days in the bay are the ones right after the first freeze, when cars that would not start that morning all arrive together. A weekday in mid to late October is the calm window at all four service centers, and no appointment is needed. If the storm is already here, come in anyway; the check takes the guessing out of which part of the car is struggling.