Winterizing your car

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Elizabeth Baker
  • 86th Airlift Wing Publics Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Each morning during the AFN morning show, the weather report shows a drastic drop in the temperature, leaves are turning color and falling to the ground, and pumpkin-spice-everything is showing up on store shelves. Steven Subocz, 86th Force Support Squadron Auto Hobby Annex Automotive Mechanics supervisor, said the time to think about preparing cars for winter is before the rain turns to ice on windshields, signaling start of winter in Germany.

“Every year people wait till the last minute to have their car inspection for winterization and then they’re out of luck. Tire season hits, tires are on back order and the next appointment to have your car inspected is three weeks out. Now it’s snowing and you can’t drive your car for three weeks.”

Subocz said the most important reasons to get a vehicle inspected for winterization are to make sure that the coolant in the engine doesn’t freeze and that the tires are safe to drive on.

“The tires are a big safety concern,” Subocz said. “When snow tires are brand new they’re good but when they’re worn down they’re like summer tires. They’re only all-season when the depth of the tire tread is still at least 3/16 inch. We see a lot of people on base getting stuck and hitting curbs because their all-season tires are worn down and they’re sliding.”

While German law requires a minimum of 1.6 mm. tread depth, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club recommends 4 mm during winter.

Lights are another concern, Subocz said.

“A lot of times we get to the winter season and people find out they have blown bulbs that they didn’t know about because they’ve been driving in the day light all summer,” Subocz said.

The good news is that the 86th FSS Auto Hobby Annex is scheduled to inspect vehicles for winter safety in October, free of charge. Customers can drop off their vehicles and pick up the report later or let the staff show them firsthand what needs to be done. The free checks will cover fluids, windshield wipers, lights and tires.

“We’ll have four or five mechanics and that’s all we’ll do all day is look at cars,” Subocz said.

Whether customers choose to get an appointment at the Auto Hobby Annex on Ramstein, Pulaski Barracks, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, or a at a service garage off base, Subocz advised customers to set up their appointment early.

“By the end of September set up an appointment for October because if you wait till October and the snow hits, it’s too late,” Subocz said. “We’re booked out three weeks right now and the wait won’t get any shorter through the winter months. I’ve been in Germany 25 years and usually right around Thanksgiving is when the snow starts.”

Alternatively, if car owners have any auto mechanical experience, staff at the 86th FSS Auto Hobby Shop can help them perform their own checks.

Subocz said he hears stories all the time about what happens when people don’t prepare their cars for winter.

The damages for a blown tire can be around $200, Subcoz said. For a damaged suspension or wrecked car the cost could run into the thousands. If owner did not have winter or all-weather tires on the vehicle, insurance may not cover the costs, the owner will have to pay fees and the car may be impounded. Upgrading to all-season tires usually only costs around $70 to $130 per tire.

To make sure everyone is driving safely on appropriate tires, German Police and Security Forces personnel perform checks during the winter, on and off base.

To tell if a tire meets the minimum German requirements for winter, check for an M+S symbol on the sidewall. Subcoz said that a good winter tire should also have small wavy grooves that aid traction.