Five simple car hacks to get you through winter

January 23, 2019 3:20 AM

Jamie Perez,

Posted: January 23, 2019 3:20 AM

Updated: August 31, 2021 12:22 PM

by Jamie Perez

Five simple car hacks to get you through winter

MADISON, Wis. — Up until recently, winter had been relatively mild in Wisconsin. With the colder temperatures and accumulation of snow taking over, here are several tips you can use on your car to prevent those common frustrations we all deal with:

1. If you don’t have an ice scraper in your car, a credit card can be used as a substitute! (No, it won’t ruin the card.)

2. To protect your sideview mirrors from getting ice on them while your car sits idle outside, place plastic bags around them and secure them with a rubber band. When you need to use your car again, remove the plastic bags to find clear mirrors.

3. If your car gets stuck in the snow, you can use your car mat and place it as far under your tire as you can. The mat will create traction for your car so you can get out.

4. On top of popping your windshield wipers up during a snowstorm, you can place gloves or socks on the end of the wipers to prevent snow or ice from accumulating on them.

5. Keep kitty litter in your car. When you need more traction, you can use the litter to act as a salt substitute.

While those are just some tips and tricks you can use, AAA director of communications Nick Jarmusz says there are things he wants to remind people of that he sees as common issues during the winter.

“Three of the most important things you can do for your car to prepare for winter driving is checking tire pressure, topping off your windshield wiper fluid and also making sure your gas tank is full,” Jarmusz said. “All wheel drives and four wheel drives have become very popular. While there are all sorts of advantages to those, increased stopping ability is not one of those advantages. Just because you have an all-wheel drive vehicle doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to stop any quicker. Once you take your foot off the gas, it turns into a no-wheel drive vehicle. Taking it easy will minimize skids and loss of control and greatly reduce crashes so that everyone can get home on time.”

Getting into more mischief today to show you all some tips and tricks for your dealing with your car in a winter storm! It’s on TONIGHT only on #News3 ! pic.twitter.com/RomlQMsd8o

— Jamie Perez (@JamiePerezTV) January 22, 2019

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