Ships from and sold by BIC Warehouse. Radial Tire Patch Kit #629,023 in Automotive (See top 100) #256 in Automotive > Tools & Equipment > Tire & Wheel Tools > Tire Repair Kits #3,334 in Automotive > Tools & Equipment > Tire & Wheel Tools > Tire Repair Tools #15,781 in Automotive > Wheels & Tires > Accessories & PartsAs a Houstonian, I rarely have to worry about snow or extreme winter temperatures. But my friends who live further north (particularly my Canadian friends). always share their stories of blizzards and freezing temperatures. They are especially concerned about making sure their cars survive the harsh winters. As winter approaches, some basic maintenance should take place on your vehicle so that you’re prepared for winter driving in bad weather, reduced sunlight and poor road conditions. Doing this maintenance will ensure your vehicle runs reliably. Here are some simple precautions and maintenance tips to keep your car running smoothly this winter season.

Oil sometimes thickens as it gets colder, and can’t lubricate your engine properly if too cool. Check your owner’s manual for guidance on which oil to use in different climates and temperatures. It’s very important to check your tire pressure when temperatures drop. Tires must be properly inflated to maintain good winter driving traction, which is sometimes jeopardized in snowy, icy or even just wet conditions. Check your owner’s manual for target tire pressure. It’s all in the mix Try to have a 50-50 mix of antifreeze (coolant) and water inside your radiator. This mix will help prevent freezing even in outrageously cold temperatures. You can check the mixture with an inexpensive antifreeze tester from AutoZone. When at home, make sure to dispose of the old antifreeze properly. Consult with local authorities, as many areas accept used fluids as part of recycling programs. Do you have four-wheel drive? If so, now is a good time to ensure it’s working properly – especially since the cold climates are more likely to call for its use.

Check to see that the system engages and disengages easily and that all drivers in your household know how and when to use it. Wax on wax off A waxing coat on your car can act as a deflector of snow and ice. It keeps the paint looking new and makes snow and ice easier to brush off. In case of emergency It’s always good to have an emergency winter driving kit readily available. Store your kit in the trunk during cooler months, especially if the season involves road trips for holiday travel. Your emergency kit may include: extra boots and gloves an extra set of warm clothes extra water and food, including hard candies a spare tire with air in it a bag of abrasive material such as sand, salt or non-clumping kitty litter, which can provide additional traction if a tire gets stuck in snow. To get you started on your winter driving preparation, I’d like to give one reader a chance to win a $50 AutoZone Gift card. Additional Entries (These entries will be counted only after the required entry has been submitted)

Mocha Dad’s “AutoZone Winter Drive Tips and Gift Card  Giveaway” starts on Thursday, October 24, 2013 and ends on Sunday, November 3, 2013 at 11:59 a.m. (CST), and is open to all Mocha Dad readers, subscribers, and/or fans 18 years old and older in the continental U.S. Motorhome For Rent MassachusettsRelatives and employees of Goodall Family Media are not eligible to win. Sapper T ShirtYou are also ineligible if you’ve won a prize from this website within the past 30 days. Moving Truck Rental Herkimer Ny and announced soon after the ending date. You must leave your contact information to collect your prize. If a winner does not respond within 3 days, a new winner will be chosen. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received compensation and/or one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my website.

I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Allow 3-6 weeks for giveaway fulfillment. While AutoZone has provided promotional support in the form of prizes, AutoZone is not sponsoring or administering the giveaway on this website. Prize value = $50.25% Off Select Wheel CoversReceive 25% Off Select Wheel Cover products when purchased online. 25% Select Hitches and Towing AccessoriesReceive 25% Off Select Hitches and Towing accessories when purchased online. 25% Off Select License Plate Frames, License Plates and FastenersReceive 25% Off Select License Plate Frames, License Plates and Fasteners when purchased online. Online orders scheduled for in-store pick up must be completed in store by closing on 8/31/16 for discount to apply.On the surface, a scratch repair pen might seem like a great idea. What’s not to like about making quick repairs to your car’s finish by simply drawing a line along the damage?

It turns out, the results aren’t always like what you see on TV. For one thing, our testers found they don’t work on anything but minor surface scratches. And, they may make the damage look worse. Marketed as an easy way to avoid expensive auto body shop bills, manufacturers say that anyone can get professional results from the pens, which cost $10 or less. We sampled three to see if the claims were true. The Simoniz Fix it Pro ($10), DuPont Pro Fusion Color ($8), and Turtle Wax Scratch Repair Pen ($10) are all widely available online or in auto parts stores. Claimed to work with any color paint, they contain a permanent clear coat much like the protective outer layer used on new cars from the factory. But what their packaging doesn’t make entirely clear is that these pens are strictly for surface scratches in the clear coat. If the damage goes into the paint below, you’re out of luck. We also found that the pens can be tricky to use, and that it’s not easy to get the thin, even line necessary to neatly fill scratches without overdoing it.

With applicator tips that are as wide or wider than a typical scratch, our sampled products make it difficult to avoid applying too much filler, and leaving a visible residue that’s more noticeable than the damage you’re trying to repair. And getting rid of that residue might require sanding and buffing it out, and potentially some touch-up paint. As a rule, these products won’t help on any scratch that’s deep enough to feel with a fingernail, or if you can see primer or bare metal. For that kind of damage, you’ll need more than clear filler and a steady hand. The only way to repair damaged paint is with more paint. (Learn more about the colorful world of automotive paint.) See our buying advice on car waxes and exterior trim cleaners. For our evaluation, we used the same lab-grade black test panels we purchase for car wax testing. These panels are painted and clear coated with automotive finishes. We also tried them on two vehicles with light scratches: a silver Toyota Sienna minivan owned by Consumer Reports and an employee’s dark blue Honda CR-V.

We made scratches in the test panels with a key and the end of a bolt, and then used the products according to manufacturers directions on both the panels and the pre-scratched vehicles. This involved washing and drying the damaged area, shaking the pen to mix the contents, dabbing the tip on a piece of paper towel to get the product flowing, and carefully drawing the pen along the surface of the scratch. After applying the products, we moved the samples to the roof of our building where they were allowed to weather for four weeks. All three of the products filled the scratches, and we saw no appreciable difference between them in either ease of use or effectiveness. From certain angles, the repairs looked just as good as advertised in the TV ads. But other angles revealed a ridge of very noticeable excess clear coat. The results had the look of an amateur job, at best, and often the repair was far more noticeable than the original scratch. The Simoniz and DuPont products advise wiping off any excess with a paper towel, but we found this only made things look worse, as it smeared the paint across the undamaged surface.