Spring Car Maintenance Checklist for Connecticut Drivers (After Winter)

Connecticut winters don't just test your driving skills — they test every system on your car. Between road salt, freeze-thaw cycles, potholes, and ice, your vehicle takes a beating from November through March. Spring is the time to fix what winter broke.

Here's the complete post-winter maintenance checklist we recommend at Strong's Alignment Services.

1. Get a Wheel Alignment Check

This is the single most important spring maintenance item for Connecticut drivers.After months of hitting potholes, expansion joints, and frost heaves, your alignment is almost certainly off.

Signs your alignment shifted:

• Vehicle pulls to one side
• Steering wheel is off - center when driving straight
• Uneven tire wear(check the inside edges)

A proper four - wheel alignment typically costs $80–$120 and pays for itself in tire savings alone.Misalignment can chew through a set of tires 15,000–20,000 miles early.

2. Inspect Your Tires

If you have winter tires: Swap them off once temperatures stay consistently above 45°F. Winter tires wear much faster on warm pavement and their soft compound reduces handling.

All - season tires: Check for:

• Tread depth — use the penny test (if you can see the top of Lincoln's head, you're below 2/32" and need new tires)
• Sidewall damage — bulges or cuts from hitting potholes
• Uneven wear — could indicate alignment or suspension problems
• Tire pressure — cold weather drops pressure about 1 PSI per 10°F, so your tires may be underinflated

3. Check Your Brakes

Road salt accelerates brake rotor rust.You may have noticed more squealing or grinding in late winter — that's salt corrosion on your rotors. A thin layer of surface rust normally wears off in a few stops, but deeper pitting or consistently noisy brakes mean the rotors and pads need inspection.

Spring is the ideal time for a brake inspection.We'll measure pad thickness and rotor condition and tell you whether you can wait or need to act.

4. Wash the Undercarriage Thoroughly

Road salt collects on everything underneath your car — frame, suspension components, brake lines, fuel lines, exhaust.Salt causes rust, and rust causes structural failure over time.

What to do: Get a full undercarriage wash at a car wash with undercarriage jets, or use a pressure washer. Pay special attention to wheel wells and behind the bumpers. Don't just wash the body — the underside matters more.

5. Check All Fluids

• Windshield washer fluid: You probably burned through most of it. Refill with a no-freeze formula (even in spring, overnight temps can still drop below freezing into April).
• Coolant / antifreeze: Check the level and condition. If it looks brown or rusty, it needs a flush.
• Oil: If you're close to your next oil change, do it now. Winter driving — short trips, cold starts, idling to warm up — is harder on oil than summer highway driving.
• Brake fluid: Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time, which lowers its boiling point. If it hasn't been flushed in 2–3 years, spring is a good time.
• Power steering fluid: Check level and top off if needed.

6. Inspect Wiper Blades

Winter destroys wiper blades.Ice scraping, freezing rain, salt spray, and cold temperatures crack and harden the rubber.If your wipers are streaking, chattering, or leaving gaps, replace them now.Good wipers cost $15–$30 per blade and take 5 minutes to install.

7. Test Your Battery

Cold weather is the number one killer of car batteries.If your car was sluggish to start during the winter, the battery may be weak.Most auto parts stores will test your battery for free.If it's more than 3–4 years old and testing borderline, replace it before summer heat finishes it off.

8. Check Suspension and Steering

Connecticut's frost heave and pothole season is particularly hard on:

• Struts and shocks: Worn struts cause bouncing and poor handling.
• Sway bar links: Common source of clunking over bumps.
• Ball joints and tie rod ends: Critical safety components that wear from impact.
• Control arm bushings: Rubber bushings dry out and crack, causing vague steering.

If you hear new clunks, rattles, or notice your car feels "loose" on the road, get a suspension inspection.

9. Check Your Lights

Walk around the car and check every light — headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, and reverse lights.Bulbs burn out more often in winter because they run more hours.Foggy headlight lenses reduce visibility by up to 80 % and can be restored with a lens restoration kit or professional polishing.

10. Inspect Belts and Hoses

Extreme cold causes rubber to become brittle.Check your serpentine belt for cracks, fraying, or glazing.Squeeze coolant hoses — they should feel firm but flexible, not soft and squishy or rock - hard and cracked.

Your Spring Maintenance Partner

At Strong's Alignment Services, we offer a comprehensive spring inspection that covers all of the above. We'll go through your car systematically and tell you what needs attention now, what can wait, and what's in good shape. No pressure, just honest information.

Call: (860) 569 - 1440 | 195 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT