How To Keep Your Vehicle Safety Sensors Clean During Winter

One of the biggest concerns drivers have during the harsh winter driving conditions is safety. There are many hazards on the roads every day, but bad weather makes things even more difficult. Drivers can do several things to stay safe on the roadways of Vancouver and Clark County, including taking care of their cars. Making sure your tires, your headlights and windshield wipers are all in good working condition is a good place to start. But there are several other important practices that will make you and your vehicle safer. That includes keeping your safety sensors clean.

Get to Know Your Safety Sensors

You might not realize it, but most of today??s vehicles use several safety sensors to help protect you while you drive. For example, your forward-collision warning system and your automatic emergency braking system use radar sensors to operate. These are located in your car??s front bumper or grille. Depending on your vehicle??s features, it likely has several other sensors, as well. You can learn about all of the safety equipment in your specific vehicle by searching your owner??s manual. It??s good to know what each of these sensors does and where they??re located. And then you need to keep them clean.

Don??t Compromise Your Safety

Because they??re located in spots that tend to get very dirty, your safety sensors can also get very dirty. When they get clogged with dirt and debris, especially during the winter driving season, they??re not as effective. And when they??re not doing their job right, your safety is compromised. So make sure you keep them as clean as possible.

Safety Sensor Cleaning Tips

The Grille ?? many safety sensors are located within the grille or front bumper. It??s common for snow, ice and other dirt and debris to build up there, so make sure you keep these areas clean.

Bumpers ?? speaking of your bumpers, both the front and back bumpers hold parking alert systems. Make sure to wipe these alert systems clean so they can effectively detect other objects.

Windshield ?? it??s very common for modern vehicles to place cameras and/or sensors behind your windshield glass. They are strategically located away from the windshield wipers?? path so you might need to wipe this area of your windshield to make sure the sensors have a clear line of sight.

Rear Body Quarter Panels ?? blind spot monitoring systems are another great feature of today??s vehicles. They??re usually located in the rear body quarter panels. It??s really important to check and clean these areas frequently so they??re as clean as possible.

Rearview Camera ?? backup cameras are great, but if you don??t keep them clean they aren??t very effective.

Wash Your Car

The easiest way to keep all of these sensors clean and functioning properly is to wash your car regularly. This will help prevent built up dirt and debris from blocking your sensors and making them ineffective. It might seem like a waste of time to wash your car when the weather is bad. But washing it often will help keep your safety sensors clean. And that will help keep you safe on the roads during the long, cold winter.

Stay Safe This Winter With Vancouver Auto Repair

Make sure you follow these important steps to keep your vehicle safety sensors clean this winter. You want your vehicle to be as safe as possible in these wet and slippery conditions. Meantime, if you have any other auto repair needs or vehicle maintenance that??s due, then bring in your car, truck, crossover, or SUV to Hoesly Eco Automotive. We??ll get you taken care of the right way. And we??ll make sure your vehicle is ready for all of the winter driving conditions. Just call us or click here to set up an appointment online.

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