Car care tips from a lady who professionally takes hers through the dirt and mud

(BPT) - Spring is here, and it’s time to make sure your vehicles are maintained.  

As a professional off-road driver in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series, Corry Weller knows the type of care that needs to go into helping a winter-worn car roll into the spring, ready to go. Helping your vehicle come out of this long winter will ensure the long life and proper function of your car or truck all year long. Follow the below tried-and-true tips and your car will be performance ready as soon as the warm weather decides to show up.

Corry Weller’s top 10 tips for getting your vehicle summer ready:

1. If you can’t start your vehicle reliably, have the battery tested and replaced if necessary. Your battery should be able to start your vehicle’s engine without hesitation or struggle. If it doesn’t, test the battery and inspect the connections.

2. If your battery requires replacement, make sure to inspect your battery cables for corrosion before installing the new one. If you see evidence of corrosion (light green or white buildup), you should consider replacing the cables.

3. Make sure your batteries are fully charged. “I recommend OPTIMA’s line of digital battery chargers for a fool-proof charge.” Weller says.

4. Check your vehicle’s fluids, including engine oil and coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid and power steering fluid. Make sure you’re up to the standard maintenance requirements since you probably haven’t been able to check on these fill levels throughout the winter.

5. Ensure your tire pressure is where it should be per the tire and/or vehicle manufacturer’s specifications. Extended cold winter temperatures can lead to air leakage throughout the winter.

6. Check tire tread depth. Using a penny is a quick and easy way to make sure your tire treads meet the maximum depth – if part of Lincoln’s head is covered when placed upside down into the tread, you are good to go. If you can see all of Abe’s head, you need new tires.

7. Inspect your windshield wipers to make sure they aren’t damaged. If your wipers haven’t been completely leaving the glass clean, or smearing snow this winter, you may want to consider getting a pair of replacement blades.

8. Give your car the good bath it needs after a salty winter – use a clay bar and quality paste wax for an optimal polished shine you can get without having to go to a professional cleaner. Remember to wash and wax your car out of the direct sunlight.

9. Pressure wash inside the wheel wells, both around and behind the wheels and tires to rinse away that pesky residual road salt.

10. Thoroughly clean the carpets and floor mats inside your car to remove any salt that has unavoidably tracked in and out of your car throughout the winter.

“For more tips and tricks I’ve learned on the track, check out corryweller.com – and to get your hands on an OPTIMA Digital Charger, be sure to check out OPTIMA’s latest promotion (50 percent off a Digital 1200 charger or a free Digital 400 Charger with the purchase of a 12-volt OPTIMA battery during the month of April) on OPTIMABatteries.com," says Weller.