Auto Correct | Winterizing Your Automobile

We have made it back after some great weather days,

some really, really cold weather days,

and now some normal weather days.

Well, you know what I was thinking.

I said, wow, I'm coming up here.

We're gonna talk about winter rides in your vehicle.

And I said, well, I had people calling me

and saying how cold it was Monday and Tuesday.

Should we already be paired for winter?

Because the next time winter gets here,

it's gonna be much stronger than it was this last week.

You know how it is when people say winter's on the cusp?

Either their joints are achy or something like that?

I know when winter's on the cusp

because my tire light comes on.

Yes, and that's another reason that tire lights,

my wife's tire light came on.

But you know, there's a three PSI fluctuation

in those tires and what happens in cold weather,

we always say, fill your tires up, check your tires

when it's cold because as the tire runs,

it builds up and gets heat and now it expands

and you have more air in there.

So you always wanna check them when they're cold

and then you're gonna be good all the way around.

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Welcome to AutoCorrect Helping.

You correct your auto problems,

our host is Coach Charlie Melton,

ASC certified master technician.

I'm Jermaine Flood, hey coach,

we have made it back after some great weather days,

some really, really cold weather days

and now some normal weather days.

Well, you know what I was thinking.

I said, wow, I'm coming up here,

we're gonna talk about winter rides in your vehicle.

And I said, well, I had people calling me

and saying how cold it was Monday and Tuesday.

Should we already be paired for winter?

Because the next time winter gets here,

it's gonna be much stronger than it was last week.

That's right, that's right.

And you know how it is when people say

winter's on the cusp, either their joints are achy

or something like that.

I know when winter's on the cusp

because my tire light comes on.

Yes, and that's another reason that tire lights,

my wife's tire light came on.

But you know, there's a three PSI fluctuation

in those tires and what happens in cold weather,

we always say, fill your tires up, check your tires

when it's cold because as the tire runs,

it builds up, it gets heat and now it expands

and you have more air in there.

So you always wanna check them when they're cold

and then you're gonna be good all the way around.

Well, that'll be one of the first things we talk about

as we're talking about winterizing your automobile.

Our email address for questions is auto at mpbonline.org.

The phone number is 1-877-MPB-RING.

That's 1-877-672-7464.

All right, I got a little right up to get everybody going.

Let's get started.

I've got on a jacket, I'm already going.

Hey, you can kind of jacket weather right now.

Yeah, in the morning a jacket in the afternoon, short sleeves.

Yeah, that's the way to winterize your body.

That's right.

Getting it prepared to adapt to all types of weather.

But getting your car ready though for winter

means getting your vehicle winterized

for cold temperatures, snow, ice,

that could all happen here, slush and rain.

Winterizing your car and getting it prepped

for the next polar vortex, aurora borealis

or anything else is where the rubber meets the road

so you can drive safely this winter.

You know, I think so many times we're in the summertime,

we're in the springtime and people just literally forget

about winterizing their vehicle until the weather is here,

until it is too late.

That's right.

Or until that light comes on and now you're scared.

And then you've got to figure out what's wrong.

Yeah, you're driving with anxiety at that point.

So coach, let's get it kicked off, inspecting your tires.

Other than seeing that tire light come on,

what do we need to do?

Well, once again, the TPM light is a idiot light

is for people that just don't get out and check their tires

because we used to be able to go out there

and we'd check the tread level in them,

make sure the tread, we had good tread on them,

make sure there was no bald spots on it,

make sure that the tire was wearing correctly.

Because a lot of times a tire can tell you

a lot of different things about what's going on in your vehicle.

So you want to make sure that you check your air pressure

you want to check and make sure there's no wire

or anything sticking out of those tires.

And make sure, you know, a lot of times people just need to

look at the lug nuts and make sure they're tight, you know,

because a lot of things can happen during the summer.

Right, right.

While you're driving in that heat, yeah,

and now they worn out, now it's the winter

and now you need more tread on there.

So tell me about the penny.

Does that really work?

Well, the penny of the head is 230 seconds

and, you know, they're doing away with the penny.

I've got to figure out how we, you know,

we got a little while to still use that penny, but.

Oh yeah, just that's news for sure.

The penny is out of mint as of 2025.

The right at the top of Lincoln's head is 230 seconds.

Okay.

That is the minimum tread and now when I say minimum,

that is the absolute, the end of the tread

that you'd want to take and go is 230 seconds.

So you could use that penny right above Lincoln's head

in order for that to work.

But that's the last thing.

That's the last.

Now most tires today have wear bars in them

and wear bars is a piece of rubber

they got all over the tire that when you get down

to the wear bar, then it's time to change tires.

Okay.

You know, so, but yeah, you can still use the pennies

and that's another thing you need to look at.

What type of tires you got on in the winter time?

Is it mud tires?

Is it street tires?

Is it all terrain tires?

So, or is it just a highway tires?

So you want to make sure that you got the right type of tire

in the right terrain that you're going to be going.

And using.

So this penny trick, they say to do this

in 10 to 15 areas of the tire.

Now coach, that means especially if I'm parked,

I got to roll it forward and roll it back.

Well, you wouldn't really have to do that.

Just do it around, you know, the front of the car,

the front of the tire, the middle of the tire

and the back of the tire without having to move the car.

But it will work like that.

And what you're looking for is the different tread thickness

on there.

So it's below 230 seconds in some places,

maybe above 230 seconds in other.

But that means that there is a problem with the suspension

or something going on if the tread is not even.

Okay, okay.

All right, now when it comes to fixing tire pressure

in winterizing your car, what all does that entail?

Well, once again, the tire pressure,

if you open your left driver door

and you can look right there on the panel

on the inside of that door

and you'll see the tire pressure

that is recommended for your vehicle.

You know, a lot of people tell me, they say,

I say, what is your tire pressure?

Well, it's right here on the tire, 44 PSI.

That's it?

No, that's not the tire pressure.

And that is the amount that they,

the maximum amount that you can put in the tire.

Right, for a load, the PSI,

the pounds per square inch is inside the door

and it is in your owner's manual.

And once again, you check it while it's cold,

you put the right amount of air pressure in

and then it will stay.

I'm scared, this is the only reason why

is because I drive this Lexus and it's so,

it's got all the tires on there

and shows you all the numbers

and then it'll have the light come on,

one of the tires, all three are at 33,

this one's at 32.

And then I don't know whether I should touch or not

because sometimes the next day,

it'll just come back to normal by itself.

Should we always be worried

when one of the tires is off from the others?

Well, once again, it's the temperature of the tire.

One may get hotter than the other

and the temperature will change

and that means the air pressure will change in it.

Hotter it is, higher the air pressure.

Coater it is, lower the air pressure.

So once again, you have like a three PSI degree

in order to change where the air pressure's gonna change.

So if you're not between,

it'll tell you that TPM light will come on

and say, hey, this tire needs to be checked

because it is below that three PSI threshold.

Even though my other tires are sitting at 33s

and this one is at a 32.

That's not gonna hurt it.

Okay, okay.

My anxiety gets high with that.

I was not gonna hurt it and like I say, that's due to

maybe the temperature of the tire,

maybe one's hotter than the other.

And in our case, do we need special tires here in Mississippi?

You know, there's winter tires.

Well, in Mississippi really, in central Mississippi,

you just need all terrain tires,

regular highway terrain tires

and you can get those, be of Goodridge, Michelin, all them.

Have that all terrain tire

and most vehicles that you get from the dealership

or manufacturer will have all terrain tires on them.

Okay, okay.

Unless you're getting those big mud grips on them

and those, you know, if you've got the vehicle

checked up and all.

Would it hurt us if we went and bought snow tires

or tires that could glide over ice?

Well, I wouldn't want a tire to glide over ice.

Well, not glide, but grip.

I mean, sure, I guess.

Glide in the safest way possible.

Just glide in the safest way.

You know, another thing I was thinking about

when you're talking about tires.

We don't really need snow tires very much in Mississippi

unless you're in northern Mississippi.

Yeah.

You know, sometimes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay, well, that's good.

All right, we've got a question that came in

while you and I were talking tires for winter

and this one says when using cruise control

and it slows down, do your brake lights come on?

Oh, that's a good question

because everything is behind you.

Well, only it's not, see, if you're using adapted cruise.

Okay.

Okay, if you're using adapted cruise,

the vehicle slows down on its own.

Okay, and it's going to slow it down.

It's using radars and all to slow it down

and sensors to slow it down.

And so, you know, I've never really went back there

and checked those brake lights to see if they're on.

Get out right now.

You know, I've never really seen it.

I really have never seen a vehicle in front of me

that has adaptive cruise.

You know, I would have to check on that

because I'm not really sure on that.

I mean, that's a good thing to say or need

because somebody needs to know whether or not

they need to, you know, slow down behind you possibly.

And most likely they may come on, like I said,

I haven't really ever thought about that.

But like I said, adapted cruise slows the vehicle down

and then when you get in the left lane away from the vehicle

it automatically picks back up.

Now, if you are using cruise control, okay,

and it's not adapted cruise control

because it's not going to slow down

unless it's adapted cruise control.

Okay, if you're using regular cruise control,

automatically you are already stepping on your brake

if you're running up on some light too quick.

Yeah, right.

So your brake lights will.

Right, right, right, you're gonna come on.

And the cruise control will stop.

Right.

And there's another thing while you're talking

about cruise control is that during ice and snow

do not use your cruise control.

There we go.

That is not a thing to do during the winter.

Because your cruise control is steady going to be going

and you may have your hand on the steering wheel

until you touch that brake,

that cruise control is still going

and it may just take you off the road

and make you hide your plane.

All right, so if you've been listening,

we've told you to inspect your tires,

make sure you fix tire pressure,

and do not use cruise control during the winter.

During winter, ice and snow.

Ice and snow, ice and snow.

So yeah, make sure you take those tips.

We've got some more coming on the way.

Plus we've got some callers on the line.

We've got Lovada and Joe.

We'll get to them in just a second.

The phone number is 1-877-MPB-RING.

That's 1-877-672-7464.

If you've got a question, send those questions

to auto at mpbonline.org.

We're talking about winterizing your automobile.

Is your car under recall?

I'll tell you how you can find out next.

You're listening to AutoCorrect with coach Charlie Melton.

I'm Jermaine Flood.

If you want even more of this show

where coach and I just do our thing.

I just do our thing, that's it.

Coach does this thing, I do my thing.

You can find the podcast on all podcast platforms

for your smart device.

AutoCorrect is heard on MPB Think Radio Thursdays

at 10 a.m. with a replay Saturdays at 11 a.m.

Coach, you've got a follow-up for cruise control right now.

You know, I was thinking about the cruise control.

Yes, I would say that the brake lights do come on

when you're with adaptive cruise as well

because the ones behind you have to know

that you're slowing down.

So I would say that the brake lights would come on.

But like I say, I'm always driving

so I don't really know.

That's happening.

It does happen, but I'm sure that does.

That's a safety feature.

Right, maybe we should do a test.

Take a friend.

And they drive behind me.

Yeah.

That's a good thing to do, there we go.

Take a friend.

Tell them when you're doing it.

Y'all can be talking on the phone or something.

Be like, I'm doing it now, is it doing it?

Sam, I'm running up on somebody.

Is it doing it?

Okay, look, before we get into some recalls,

let's get into the phone lines.

We've got Lovada in Natchez.

Lovada, you're on with coach Charlie.

Good morning.

So I have a car that was given to me.

And about a month after it was given to me,

the light came on.

The service engine light came on.

And it said, it said,

Catalyst system load efficiency bank two.

So I took it down to the shop.

The guy told me, he said,

oh, it sounded like it needed a catalytic converter.

So I went home and thought about it

because that was a money issue.

And then the light went off.

So, hey, for a whole year I rode in the car

and now the light has came back on again.

And so the reading said the diagnostic trouble code

was P0430 indicates that bank two catalytic system

efficiency was the low threshold

for a predetermined period of time.

I don't know what that could be.

Well, what you could have on there

is a lazy auction sensor.

Okay.

It's reading, you got two auction sensors on.

If it's a, someone will have four, but it's upstream.

Upstream auction sensors control,

they read the auction that's coming out of the exhaust

to control the fuel ratio in the engine.

The downstream O2 sensor auction sensor

reads the temperature and the oxygen

that is going out of the catalytic converter.

Okay.

And the reason why it's reading

that it was coming out of the catalytic converter

because it changes, the chemical reaction changes

in the catalytic converter when it goes out into the air.

Okay.

So you got one, the front one controls the engine.

The rear one checks the catalytic converter

to see exactly how it changed.

If you have a lazy auction sensor on that vehicle,

those symptoms can come up because if you drove a year

and the light never came back on

or just decided to come on again,

the auction sensor could be contaminated.

Okay.

And they do get contaminated if it's from fuel,

being maybe the vehicle ran rich,

it would get contaminated or maybe it could have cooling

on it, anything could contaminate that auction sensor.

Well, it will not read correctly.

And it may say that the catalytic converter is bad

and not reading.

So what I would do is

take and drive the vehicle,

get somebody to clear that catalytic converter,

that auction sensor out,

go ahead and clear the codes out of that scan,

out of that computer and drive it and see what happens.

Okay.

Because I do know last year,

I thought maybe the gas cap wasn't on tight,

but I said, no, there's cars of 2003.

I said, there's cars too old ahead,

that kind of technology and it could have been the gas,

but so you said the downstream though,

can you tell me one more time the downstream sensor does what?

So you have a upstream auction sensor,

it controls the engine,

how much the fuel ratio in the engine

and the downstream control,

it tells what the catalytic converter,

how it is performing if it's,

because it changes,

the air coming out of the catalytic converter

should be different than the air

that was going in the catalytic converter.

And so the oxygen sensor reads that.

So the question that I have is,

could it be instead of the catalytic converter,

something that she needs to take care of

with the oxygen sensor?

Is that what we're saying?

It could be the oxygen sensor.

But it's giving catalytic converter vibes on the scan.

Yeah, because it's reading,

the oxygen sensor is reading the catalytic converter.

Okay, okay.

Does that make sense, Lovata?

Yes, it does.

Thank you.

Because last year it said something most likely solution

was somebody's engine repair to wiring harness last year,

but this year that didn't come up.

And that's so crazy because I would expect the same thing

to come up again.

Okay, okay.

Well, if you think about just making sure

that wiring harness on that catalytic,

on that oxygen sensor is not rubbed

against the frame or anything,

because it goes through the frame.

So a big oxygen sensor check would do.

Yeah, that's what I would do.

You're saying that the wiring harness

is on the catalytic converter?

No, it's on the oxygen sensor.

Yeah, get them to, yes, ma'am.

It's on the oxygen sensor.

I was thinking it was the harness in the top of the car,

but the catalytic converter has a wiring harness itself?

Off the oxygen sensor, yes.

The catalytic converter itself ain't got a wiring,

but the oxygen sensor that goes into the catalytic converter

does have wiring going to it.

So you need to get that oxygen sensor looked at,

whether it'd be something wrong with it

or whether it'd be something wrong with the catalytic converter.

Because the guy at the park still was showing me a part

that caused, it was a wire with a tip or something on it.

It was only $65.

That's the oxygen sensor.

Okay, that's it.

Okay, well, I really appreciate you.

Well, and I do want you to know,

I contributed automatically out of my checking account

every month.

Let's go, Lovada!

Thank you so very much.

Let's go, Lovada!

I'm so glad you guys are on.

I listen to the salt gardener, the covenger lady,

the lady that does the carpentry.

Thank you all so much for being online.

Oh, Lovada, and we thank you so much for supporting us.

You just don't know.

Thank you for your support

and for listening to all those shows.

Yes, thank you.

Okay, thank you.

All right, have a good one.

That was good, though.

Well, you know, oxygen sensors and catalytic converters

that all had to do with emission systems

and, you know, they always keep eye on emission systems.

Well, let me tell you,

a catalytic converter is not cheap, though.

Oh, no.

It's not $65.

That's why people go cut the catalytic converter off

and go sell them.

Yeah, it's not $65 like the oxygen sensor.

Yeah, the oxygen sensor's cheap compared to the catalytic converter.

And everybody would change the catalytic

just because of the fact that it's gonna run

a good labor price and they're gonna make

a good bit off of that one.

And that's why you always make sure

you have a reputable technician that you can take it to

and that will shoot you straight.

Yeah, you never know what happens.

Some people are out for the money,

but some people are out to help you.

All right, before we get into this recent recalls,

let's go to Joe and Raleigh.

He's been on for a second.

Joe, you're on with coach Charlie.

Good morning, thank you for taking my call.

I have a car that I don't drive a lot now

and so it does not have a lot of miles on it,

but it's getting some years.

And so is there a minimum number of years

after which I should replace the tires?

Yeah, I was just thinking about that

because tires do dry rot, they do oxidize,

and that's what happens to them.

Manufacturers suggest no more than five years

that you would keep a set of tires on a vehicle

because they start oxidizing and they'll get

little cracks in them.

And especially if it's just been sitting on the ground,

if it's been sitting up in the air on blocks or something,

you'd still want to check them,

but most likely no more than five years

due to the oxidation of that tire

just wearing out from the environment.

Okay, well thank you very much.

All right, thank you, Joe.

Look, quick question too.

I want to get back to a little bit

of winterizing your vehicles as we're talking about tires.

Here in Mississippi, because I always want to take us

for example, because we have weather that could

or could not be, should we think about choosing

an all-wheel drive or a four-wheel drive

as it relates to winterizing your car?

Or buying a new one.

Well, a four-wheel drive, there's a difference

between a four-wheel drive and an all-wheel drive.

A four-wheel drive is a vehicle that you can change

from two to four.

An all-wheel drive is an all-wheel drive all the time.

That means the front and the rear

are working together all the time.

But a four-wheel, you know, most four-wheel drives

you're going to see are going to pick up trucks

and stuff like that that's going to go out in the mud.

Those are for your four-wheel drive.

Most smaller vehicles today and some of your bigger vehicles

are all-wheel drive, automatically from the manufacturer.

Now, I had one all-wheel drive before I got this new vehicle

and I have to say it did feel very much

like it gripped the road and during that winter ice storm

I had the only vehicle that would roll out of the driveway.

Well, if you even think about a two-wheel drive,

front-wheel drive, and a rear-wheel drive,

which one would you think works better?

Two-wheel front or rear.

I don't know, I'm a guess on the front.

Well, the front is pulling.

Yeah.

The back is pushing.

Yeah.

So which one is the better one?

Well, for certain vehicles with smaller cars,

it's going to be the front-wheel drive.

It's going to be front-wheel for smalls.

And the larger ones are going to be the rear-wheel drive.

OK, all right.

Well, that makes sense because you still

have a lot of weight in the back that you don't have in the front

and the little cars have the transaxle and all

and the engine right there in the front.

OK, well, before we get to Carl and Vicksburg,

we've got just two recent recalls.

Toyota's latest starts us off.

It involves the engines in approximately 127,000

Toyota and Lexus vehicles, which may contain debris that

could cause a loss of power.

This includes model year 22 to 24 Tundra pickup trucks.

And effective Lexus vehicles include model year 22

to 24 LX SUVs and model year 24 GX SUVs.

Machining debris from production may not

have been completely removed from the engine.

Somebody didn't take the duster after it.

And may cause engine knocking, rough running, failure

to start, or a loss of motive power.

And that loss increases a risk of a crash.

Toyota, though, doesn't have a remedy to fix this issue,

because that dust and stuff is in there.

But they will notify owners early January of 26.

Well, it's really not dust that we're talking about.

And what we're talking about when they forge the engines.

OK.

You know, if you are casting the engine and they have,

you've seen them where they do lead or something,

they had to cut that off to make it.

It's the same thing as the shavings.

The shavings are in there and they

may be coming off of the engine block itself

and getting caught into the vows or into the fuel, stuff

like that.

OK.

Wow.

They're like, how in the world are we

going to get in there now?

You're going to tear the whole engine down.

That's why there's no remedy.

Yes.

They don't want to put new engines in all these vehicles.

You might as well just give them a new car.

Might even do it.

I'd like that, maybe.

Let's go.

And I don't have any of those Lexuses.

I don't have none of those Toyotas.

All right, y'all.

That's one of them.

Stay tuned for that one.

And finally, Honda is recalling certain accessory wheels

that were available for its civic sedans and hatchbacks

over an issue that may cause the wheels to detach.

Approximately 406,000 vehicles may be affected,

though the company said only 3,276 wheels are faulty.

They know approximately there.

Certain 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels

that were sold as accessories for model year

2016 to 21 civics may not have been manufactured properly.

The steel lug inserts in the wheels

may not have been pressed into the nut seating surface.

And as a result, the wheels may detach from the vehicle,

increasing the risk of loss of control and crashing.

Dealers are inspecting the wheels

and replacing the hubs and wheels,

as necessary for free, speaking of wheels.

So it says that what it's talking about,

you cannot tighten the wheel up on the stud itself

because it starts spinning on the inside.

OK.

And now it's not tightening, it's spinning.

Yeah, I've had this cheap water bottles.

That's the same thing.

Cheap water bottles.

Once you open them up and you try to put that cap on it,

it just keeps spinning.

Just keeps spinning.

So that's what's happening.

That's what they're talking about.

And you know, accessories, I was thinking

about an 18-inch tire rim on a Civic.

That's a pretty big tire on a Civic anyway.

You're riding spinners.

But, you know, that's it, you know.

So everybody likes those big wheels and big tires now.

So hey, just if it's a recall, get it taken care of.

OK, before we go to break, let's get Carl

taken care of in Vicksburg.

Carl, you're on with Coach Charlie Melton.

Yes, sir.

I was going to ask you, I have an older vehicle.

I want to replace her.

What's the best material to dissipate heat for a radiator?

Well, what they do is the shroud's still there.

Yes, sir.

OK, so make sure that the shroud itself, you know,

is made out of plastic, somewhere made out

of metal, according to how old the vehicle is.

Make sure the shroud is still there.

But if you want to, you're trying to dissipate it

off the radiator itself, you know, there's really nothing

that you really put on a radiator to dissipate the heat

because the thing is, a lot of times when you put stuff

on the radiator is holding the heat in and you want

to dissipate the heat.

You want that air to flow through that radiator

so it will cool off, cool it going to that engine.

So there's really nothing that you should put

on the radiator itself.

Usually the shroud itself should be sufficient.

OK, OK, OK, thank you so much.

All right, thank you, Carl.

Listen, if you want to know more about those recalls,

you can visit nhtsa.gov forward slash recalls

and inputting your VIN or find their safer car app.

Today, we're talking about winter rising your automobile.

We're also taking all of your vehicle repair questions.

Our email address is auto at mpbonline.org.

What's in the news?

Are winter wipers worth it?

How they differ from regular blades.

I'll tell you more next.

Thank you for listening to AutoCorrect on MPB.

Coach Charlie Melton, retired instructor

from Clinton High School's automotive tech program

is our expert host.

I'm Jermaine Flood.

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AutoCorrect is heard on MPB Think Radio Thursdays

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In the news, Coach, are winter wipers worth it?

I'm going to get your take first.

Well, what they're doing, once again,

is making sure that windshield is clean.

I know you there's been a lot of times

that you would cut your windshield wipers on and go,

drink, you hear that little swiping sound?

Okay, well, winter windshield wipers

doesn't supposed to do that.

Ooh, forever and ever, put a pin in it?

I don't know, ever and ever.

Things do wear out.

Sounds like to me, I need a nice set of winter tires

and a nice set of winter blades.

Okay, so you might come across a bevy of winter wipers

in your search, but there are two general types.

Conventional winter wipers feature

a similar frame construction as the all season variety,

but the wiper body has a rubber boot

to protect the hinged areas from freezing.

Winter wipers also come in a frameless beam blade design.

They look cool if you can see them.

If you can see them, they're out there.

Yeah, they'd be like, look at that man, it's cool wipers.

But they look cool and the sleek construction

presses the blades on the windshield evenly

to efficiently wipe away ice and precipitation.

So with this in mind, you're probably wondering

which one to choose or whether winter wipers

are worth it at all.

Well, the thing about the boot,

we already talked about putting the boot on the windshield

because that's the winter wiper as well.

What that does, how many times have you seen

somebody go out there in the winter time,

it's all iced up and you try to move that wiper.

It ain't going nowhere.

Well, what you've done, you've already loosened

the nut on the wiper blade now.

And so when you cut it on and you do start moving,

that wiper blade may not move.

And the rubber may just come out of the little socket

that it was in a little corner.

So all it's doing is keeping the ice off of it.

So there are ways to do that.

If you're in the ice, people should do this

at winterizing as well, is that if you know

that you're going to have ice or snow during the night,

go out there before it gets dark

and just pick your wiper blades up off the windshield.

And get them off of there.

Then they don't freeze on the windshield

and then you don't have that problem.

Or you were giving, and that's one of the tips

in here too, a Rainex tip during the break, weren't you?

Well, you know, I've been hearing Rainex

for the last several months today

keep talking about Rainex, you know,

you could treat your windshield with Rainex

and that will take a lot of that excess snow and ice.

It'll help it get off.

Okay, so there's two types of blades, silicone and rubber.

And they're saying though,

because the silicone blades last twice as long

and they're superior in the cold,

they're probably the best to buy,

but they're almost twice or three times the price.

You know, when you go in,

your soul says, give me the cheap ones.

Well, your wiper blades,

you got several different levels of wiper blades

just like you do of any other auto parts.

And it hurts your soul, you pray.

So, how much was that one wiper itself, $50?

Well, what you need to do here is understand

when you go in an auto parts store,

you're gonna get what you pay for, no matter what it is.

You can be cheap.

You know, I always liked the Fran commercial.

The Fran commercial is either you can pay me now

or you'd pay me later.

Yeah, what happens is when that rubber comes out,

I think, hmm, how about the bottom shelf?

Yeah, and then all you guys got is that metal scraping

and you wind up, how many times

you seeing somebody driving down like that?

I know, mine's doing it right now.

Don't talk about me.

So.

They say, don't talk about me.

Right, don't talk about me.

Listen, here's the price difference.

An ordinary set of wipers for your car SUV

costs around $15 to $35.

That's something usually all of us can stomach.

We can stomach that.

Silicone wipers are pricier than old school rubber squeegees,

but the winter wipers are costlier still.

The Raynex, and you go in and want those Raynex wipers,

the Raynex Silicone Advantage is an all-weather wiper,

but it packs a ton of features to survive winter beating.

But the downside about these wipers

is it costs $35 to $37 a blade.

A piece.

Not two.

Remember, you got two while I go for $35.

Now you're going to get $35 for one.

Oh, let me tell you what this article says, though.

They know Raynex.

They said, but Raynex has been in the business long enough

to know what it's doing.

That's right, you know, and you got to pay for the brand.

That's it, pay for what you want here.

Pay for what you want.

So caring for wipers during the winter,

is that something?

Yeah, but just like the gentleman called

and talked about his tires on his vehicle,

same thing with winter wipers.

They oxidize because of the stuff in the air.

They do oxidize, they do get brittle,

and the rubber does come off.

So you want to make sure, especially during the winter time,

that you have a good set of blades on them.

It's always good to change your wiper blades

in the spring and in the winter time,

just to make sure you're ready for both

when we get a lot of rain and when we get ice and snow.

You know, it almost sounds like, too,

that if you maybe treat it with something like a Raynex coat

or something like that.

Yeah, Raynex, yeah, but don't put oil or silicone

or anything because that's going to get all on the windshield.

So, yeah, now you could take and put Raynex on it,

but the best thing is put Raynex on your windshield.

Or put it, like I like it, in the windshield washer fluid.

Wash right, flood this.

Or it just sprays up on there for you every time.

Yeah, where you get up there every time.

So, again, that's what's in the news,

and I'll include a link to this news story

in our show's podcast description.

We're talking about winterizing your automobile.

You can email questions to auto at mpbonline.org,

or give us a call just like Sandra and Wayne'sboro did.

That's at 1-877-MPB-RING.

That's 1-877-672-7464.

All right, Coach, let's get back into some winterizing talk

as it relates to our favorite thing, belts and hoses.

You know, as he was talking, our caller

talked a little bit about the radiator.

We want to insulate the radiator from the code.

Well, we really don't want to insulate the radiator,

but we want to make sure that we have hoses

that are good hoses on them.

Make sure they're not too soft and not too brittle.

Just make sure you got good hoses.

Belts, belts is one of the things

that people really don't pay attention to

until it starts making a squilling noise.

Okay, we want to check that serpentine belt.

If you got more than one belt, some V-belts on there,

check those V-belts, check those tensioners on there

and make sure they spin so you don't hear the bearings going.

But coolant is the same thing with the coolant.

I want to check since we're with the water.

Coolant is very, very important.

To belts.

To belts and hoses.

You got to have the right coolant for those hoses

because what happens, every engine

does not take the same coolant like it used to.

We used to pour the green coolant in there

and we were good to go.

Now we got orange coolant, we got red coolant,

we got yellow coolant, we got purple coolant.

We got all these different kind of coolants.

And the reason why we have different type of coolants

is because of the components that are making up the engine.

Okay.

Okay, so going through the water and the coolant system

so you have different components in there

that need a different type of lubrication

and that's all in the coolant itself.

Okay, so that's important you choose the right one.

Right, and that's everything we're talking about right now

is in your owner's manual.

Okay.

So you can go to your owner's manual

and it will tell you exactly what to get.

Now, I know a lot of you say-

And wind to flush.

Yes, a lot of you say, well,

do I got to go back to the dealership to get it?

No, the aftermarket, they do have all these coolants.

All you got to do is ask them for what is going in,

if it's a Honda, if it's a Toyota or whatever.

It also says when adding coolant,

check the coolant bottle to determine

how many parts of water should be added

to one part of coolant.

Do you want protection from zero degrees Fahrenheit

minus 20 degrees or something lower basically?

Yeah, it usually tells you in your owner's manual

what you want, but a good rule of thumb is a 50-50 solution,

50% antifreeze, 50% water,

and that will give you a good protection way down

to like 23 degrees below.

Okay, okay, make sure you check for leaks

on that coolant too.

Well, that's another thing.

If you suspect that you had a leak,

the guy came to me the other day as a heater wasn't working

and I told him, I said, did you check your coolant?

He goes, well, it says it's full.

I said, well, no, you need to go out there

and physically check the coolant in the bottle

or the radiator and make sure you do not take

the top off the radiator while it's hot.

Make sure the car is completely cold.

Okay, check the radiator, check the coolant,

and all you had to do is he put a little coolant in there

and his heater started working again,

but the problem is, if you have to add coolant,

that means you have a leak and that means

you need to determine where the leak is.

Check for a puddle.

Check for a puddle or if you can't find the leak,

have it pressure tested, the engine pressure tested

so you can find that leak.

That's right.

All right, before we get into some more fluid talk,

because I wanna talk filling other fluids

and also changing your oil

or checking your oil before winter,

let's go to Sandra in Waynesboro.

Sandra, you're on the line with Coach Charlie.

Yes, hi, good morning, and thank you for taking my call.

I have a 2018 Nissan Titan.

For the last month, I've started having a problem

with when I get in,

because it's got this push button start.

You have to have the key in the vehicle, of course,

but when I put my foot on the brake and push the button,

it doesn't always start.

Sometimes it clicks, but if I let it,

if I turn it off and let it sit for a second,

then it'll start.

Now it's starting to have,

it's become more and more of a problem.

I was reading in the manual,

it said something about a starter relay.

Is that just a fuse?

Yeah, but I don't think it'd be the starter relay

off that right there.

What I would do first to make it easy for you,

just check the battery,

make sure that the battery connections are tight

and make sure they're clean.

Because a lot of times-

Well, I just put a brand new battery in it.

Okay, did they clean the connections for you?

Yes.

Okay, so you did that part, so that's clean.

Okay, so make sure that it was clean.

Then I would go and check the relay itself

after I went from the battery.

Check the relay, it's called a starter relay.

You can look in the fuse panel in the owner's manual,

you can look in the fuses

and it'll show you exactly where it's located.

Okay, and those are very easy to replace.

You just pull it out, push another one in.

Okay, well, thank you so much.

I'll try that.

All right, thank you, Sandra.

The number is 1-877-MPB-RING.

That's 1-877-672-7464.

We're discussing winterizing your automobile

and taking repair questions.

Send us an email to auto at mpbonline.org.

We've got a new car review

from Casey Williams coming up in Coach's Tip of the Week.

This is AutoCorrect on MPB Think Radio.

Here's a new car review from Casey Williams.

It's AutoCasey on AutoCorrect.

For over 20 years, the Kia Sorento's offered

a lot of style, performance, and luxury

at a very affordable price.

And the vehicle we have this week continues that.

The 2024 Kia Sorento X-Line.

X-Line meaning it has a little bit

of the off-road look to it.

It means the 20-inch black wheels.

It's the black trim around the windows and on the grille.

All looks very nice.

And it does look very stylish.

It's kind of like an Acura on the outside.

Inside, it's got the twin screen arrangement in it.

It's got heated ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel,

Bose Audio, twin panel sunroof,

and all of the safety and crash avoidance systems.

I think it's very well equipped.

Under the hood, a 2.5-liter turbocharged

four-cylinder engine.

There was 281 horsepower, 311 pound-feet of torque.

So plenty of power to get it out.

It also got all-wheel drive.

Fuel economy, not terrible.

20 miles per gallon of city, 27 on the highway.

Actually pretty good for a three-wheel crossover.

So let's talk about price.

Well, the Sorento starts under $32,000.

This one all in, $48,285.

See the full video on his YouTube channel, AutoCasey,

and listen to AutoCorrect

on the MPB Think Radio YouTube channel.

This is AutoCorrect.

If you've missed any of the program,

listen to the whole show from autocorrect.mpbonline.org.

AutoCorrect is heard on MPB Think Radio Thursdays

at 10 a.m. with a replay Saturdays

and after the show, stay tuned at 11 a.m.

It's Southern Rimny, Kids and Teens with Dr. Morgan McLeod.

I'm Jermaine Flood.

Our expert is Coach Charlie Melton,

ASC-certified master technician and coach.

We got a question from a special person named Jason Klein.

And the question says, in relation to our fluid talk,

as it relates to winterizing your automobile,

should you use leak stop if you have a leak?

And coach has got an awfully good answer.

Well, Jason, we're gonna go back old school here.

If you inhibit the flow of coolant,

that means that the vehicle is not cooling

like it's supposed to.

If you put stop leak, you put any bar stop leak,

you put anything in there,

you're inhibiting the flow of coolant

because now you really contaminated your whole system.

Does it work to stop a leak?

Yes.

Is that the smart thing to do?

No, because you can never find a mechanic in a can.

So you wanna look at that.

You wanna find the leak, fix the leak.

Now, to even go back to a little bit further old school,

just for you, Jason,

is that people used to take,

when you used to see these little bottles of silver stuff,

and it was just silver flakes of metal,

and they'd pour that in there,

and that would stop the leak in the radiator, okay?

People used to use black pepper.

They could put a can of black pepper in there.

They would season it to taste,

and that would stop it because.

Season it to leak taste.

So that would be the same thing.

And I have even heard, and I don't,

none of this, I would suggest you do none of this.

This one's the kicker.

That you could take a egg,

and you know, because the temperature is

two hundred and twelve to two hundred and ten degrees,

and you could take an egg,

and you just put it right in your radiator,

scramble it up.

Okay, so this is what I asked him when he said,

take an egg.

I said, what, a boiled and peeled one?

He said, nah, you cracked that egg in there.

You cracked the egg in there,

and it's gonna cook, and guess what?

It's gonna stop the leak as well,

but it's gonna stop up something else.

This way you can have lunch at the same time, or breakfast.

Eggs, pepper, that's a leak.

That's what I'm saying, you would have your lunch,

your breakfast right there,

but no, Jason, don't put anything in there.

Don't put nothing in there.

Fix the leak.

Okay, fix the leak.

Coach, what's your tip of the week?

You know, when we start talking about winterize,

and you know, as always,

you need to be prepared before winter gets here

to make sure that vehicle is,

because how many times would you like to go out

in the cold weather and put antifreeze in your vehicle,

because you just didn't do it when it was warm?

So make sure you go out while it's still warm,

winterize that vehicle, and be ready for the winter.

That's right.

And then before we go to James,

just to tap on it a little bit,

because we did not touch these two,

testing your battery, and what was the other one?

Monitor your brakes.

Okay, batteries real quick, you know,

batteries show wear in the wintertime,

it doesn't really show wear in the summertime,

because it takes more amperage to turn that starter,

turn that engine.

So check your battery, make sure the battery cables are clean.

You know, if you get a new battery,

make sure they're clean.

Just everything, make sure it's all up to par

on that battery.

Jason said lesson learned.

That's what he just touched me.

Okay, quickly before we head to the phone lines,

also changing oil and filling fluids.

Well, once again, oil is very important.

Most vehicles today have oil being changed

every 10,000 miles, but according to how you drive,

that oil needs to be changed regularly

at a different interval according to how you drive.

Same thing with fluids, top off all your fluids,

make sure they're full, your transmission fluid,

your oil, your windshield washer fluid,

and please don't put just water in your windshield wipers,

make sure you have it, wash your fluid in there.

Thank you, Raynex.

Let's go to James in Louisiana.

James, you're on with Coach Charlie.

James, you still with us?

James might not be with us.

I think we dropped James.

Well.

We wanted to talk to James.

We did want to talk to James.

Call us back, James, next week.

I know it, I was holding it.

I was holding it, I was holding it.

But Coach, as it relates to that,

do you have anything else for winterizing your car?

We basically ran through it and gave Jason a lesson.

Want to make sure you check your brakes on there,

make sure your brakes are ready for winterizing.

And, you know, vehicles today have ABS brakes on,

it really helps you in the snow

so you don't skid into somebody,

they sort of stop on their own a lot.

But just be careful out there,

make sure that you have everything ready for the winter,

and, you know, if you're going on a trip,

make sure you have supplies

to in case something happens,

some flashlights and blankets

and little extra food and water.

Yeah, because you can keep warm in the summer,

but you can't keep warm in the winter

or something happens like that.

So just make sure that you are totally prepared

and go by your owner's manual

and make sure that you go by that

and tell you everything to put in there.

That's right.

And what I'll do,

because I have the 10 steps to winterizing your car list,

I'll put that in our show's podcast description

so that you can just run through that and check that.

So that'll work.

Coach, it was a good show today.

We got everybody ready for their car during the winter.

Do you think it's going to be a bad one?

You know, we got cold like never before.

That's a couple of years ago.

That killed everything.

I fell in the pond that time.

Did you really?

My wife told me to walk across the pond

and, you know, me, I'm crazy.

I love it.

It was about an inch and a half thick.

I told her, I don't know.

I think those eyes are going to crack.

That's the way love should be.

And then it cracked as soon as I stepped in

and I was trying to get back on the pier

and the dog was biting me.

It wouldn't let me back on the pier.

That's the way love should be.

I tell you.

That's good stuff, Coach.

Listen, that'll wrap us up now for today's AutoCorrect.

Our crew engineer, get this, was three people.

Abram Nanny, Liz Gill and Kevin Farrell.

Hey, that's what you're talking about.

Able to do everything in the shop.

I think everybody had a hand in this and I love it.

And call screener were the same people.

Abram Nanny, Liz Gill and Kevin Farrell.

That's the way team works around here,

around MPB Think Radio.

For Coach Charlie Melton Master Technician,

I'm Jermaine Flood.

Next week, Coach, we're talking high mileage,

stop and go driving.

Those Uber drivers are out there and they need our help.

Those Uber drivers and those Lyft drivers and Door Dash.

And Door Dash Uber Eats.

Oh my goodness.

They need our help.

They're stopping and going, man.

Maybe someone's stopping here and bringing us something.

I'm hungry.

You never know.

That's right.

Thanks for listening to AutoCorrect on MPB Think Radio.

This is an MPB Think Radio podcast.

To hear previous shows, visit mpbonline.org

or download the MPB Public Radio app

to listen on your iPhone or Android phone on demand.

Auto Correct | Winterizing Your Automobile

About this episode

PSI

tire light

TPM light

tread

air pressure

lug nuts

wear bars

mud tires

street tires

all terrain tires

highway tires

tire pressure

winterizing your car

winter tires

snow tires

adaptive cruise control

radar sensors

service engine light

catalyst system load efficiency bank two

catalytic converter

diagnostic trouble code

P0430

oxygen sensor

O2 sensor

downstream sensor

tire replacement

dry rot

oxidation

tire lifespan

all-wheel drive

Dacia Duster

Honda Civic

Nissan Titan

Kia Sorentos

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