If there is any technical snag with your car then it is worthwile to fix it up before the winter sets in,as onset of winter is only going to worsen it.If your car needs a tuneup or is due for regular service, get it done now. Bad hoses, belts, water pump, spark plug wires, distributor cap, etc. can leave you stranded in the winter. Better to fix them at your convenience than after you've been sitting in your stalled car.


Make sure your battery and charging system are up to mark. Your mechanic should check the battery, charging system and belts.
Two things to remember about batteries:
First, the battery that started your car easily in the summer may not have enough thrust to do it in winter, when the oil isn't as "fluid" as it was last July. And secondly, batteries lose power as the temperature drops. So, not only do you need MORE power to start the car in winter, you also get LESS power from the same battery.
Batteries are rated by a measure called "cold cranking amps" (CCA), the maximum number of amps that the battery can deliver at zero degrees (F) for 30 seconds. Good, powerful batteries are rated at or above 600 CCA.


Coolants
Check the cooling system, making certain the antifreeze will protect your car to the winter temperatures you'll experience in your area. For most areas, you'll need a 50-50 mix of coolant to water.

If your coolant hasn't been changed in several years, get the cooling system flushed. The rust inhibitors in antifreeze break down over time and need to be renewed. Plus, draining out the coolant and refilling the system removes dirt and rust particles that can clog up the cooling system and cause problems in winter and summer.

If you have leaks in the cooling system, get them taken care of now. While many people think of overheating as a summer problem, cars can overheat in winter, too, if they run low on or out of coolant. And overheating can cause expensive engine damage whenever it happens. Plus, if you have no coolant--or low coolant--you have no heat!

Wipers


Make sure your windshield wipers are in good shape. Winter wipers--with the rubber coverings that keep ice from collecting on the blade.

Fuel

Keep your gas tank close to full, for a couple of reasons. In the summer, you can take a chance and run down to fumes. But, in the winter, if you do get stuck or stranded in fog which obstucts movement , the engine will be your only source of heat.
The other reason for a full tank is that warm daytime temperatures will fill the empty space in the tank with moisture, which will condense during the cold night. This water will sink to the bottom and, sooner or later, rust out your tank.

Make sure your windshield washer reservoir is full. On a foggy or messy day, you can easily go through half a gallon of fluid trying to keep your windshield clear. For that reason, it's also a good idea to keep some extra fluid in the trunk in case you run out.

Your car
Know your car. Every car has different handling characteristics. You should know what your car can and cannot do in the fog.


Emergencies
Winter driving emergencies are among the few legitimate uses for a cellular phone. So, if you're cellularly inclined, and you promise not to use it to chat while you smash into other innocent people, a cell phone is certainly a plus if you get stuck.

You can't see through fog, so make this "preflight check" before every winter car trip:
Once fog does arrive, take some extra time to make sure your car is clean and your visibility is good.

Clean  the entire car , not just a little peephole in the windshield. First of all, you need just as much, if not more, visibility in poor conditions, because you have to keep your eye peeled for every other speedbreaker on the road. Make sure every glass surface is clear and transparent.Now have a great drive once you have taken care of these extra tips.

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