1. It's all about curb-appeal, kids: Wash all the left-over salt or sand from your cracks...you know, between the doors and trunk and hood. Driving on icy streets and highways throws potentially damaging and highly-corrosive sludge in places you can't readily identify. And it doesn't matter where you live this year anyway: Just about everywhere in America got socked with some sorta crappy weather this Winter...(unless you're lucky enough to live in Southern California).

Power wash your car (take some quarters to the local self-serve car wash and invest a few bucks and about 15 minutes) and then wax it/get someone else to wax it, and protect it from the harsh Summertime sun. The time and effort you spend today will add some nice re-sale dollars in the future. Corrosion really can be retarded and shine restored.

By the way: The spray wax they use at the automated car washes does not count! It's a "spray on"...it may look pretty and smell nice, but it's sprayed on and then rinsed right back off again. Nothing replaces a good old-fashioned paste wax...and the newer, squeeze-on [think liquid margarine type consistency] are great.

2.  Nothing's worse than turning your key and....nothing happens: Hey, I know all about this all too well. (I owned a Jaguar in the 1980s...arrggghhh!!!) Cold weather's tough on your battery, but high temperatures can really zap it into the asphalt in a heartbeat. Bottom line? If your battery's 3-years old [or older] you'd really better think about replacing it now, on your terms. The exception to this rule? If you're planning on trading out of/selling off your car, push the envelope and see if you can avoid making that sort of expenditure. [Let the next owner worry about it!]

3. You pull out a different wardrobe at the turn of the season, so why not spend as much effort changing your "winter oil" to a "summer-grade" oil: Engines run around 220 degrees, but get even hotter when they begin picking up the heat from the asphalt. In fact summer driving conditions can churn the temperatures well into the 400 degree plus range. Thicker "winter" oils won't thin out. What does this mean to you? A "higher-viscosity" grade oil means better lubrication/protection for your engine, longer engine life, lower maintenance and lower/non-existent repair bills.

Side bar/follow-up question: Can you run an oil that's "too thick" in your engine and damage it? Duh...you bet you can. Always refer to your owner's manual for seasonal oil grade guidelines.

4. You'd better flush your cooling system every two years: Once again, the owner's manual does a pretty good job of outlining the best maintenance intervals, so always defer to their suggestions. [Oops. Don't have a manual? Then hit their website and get the proper/current information!]

Here's your cooling system bottom line: Anti-freeze turns into a very corrosive/acidic mixture when the "pH" levels drop too low. This happens to everyone and is normal; it's a result of usage, temperatures under stress [like extreme heat or cold-which is all very normal and what it's designed to do] and the aging of the anti-freeze. Rule of thumb? Change at 2-year intervals.

Follow-up anti-freeze question: Is there a potential downside by changing the antifreeze on an older vehicle? In other words: Do you increase your chances for a radiator leak when you change the antifreeze? Answer: Under normal circumstances, no. If you do knock something loose during the changing/backwash of the radiator, you simply headed off a nightmare before it had the chance to bite you at the most inopportune time (and hottest day of the year). Again...it's always better to repair something on your terms than after an expensive tow to an unfamiliar garage.

Oh yeah: It's not just antifreeze, either. It's also known as "engine coolant" in the summer.

One more "engine coolant" point worth making: Some manufacturers are including a much higher-grade coolant on newer cars. It's easy to identify too: As opposed to the reliable green antifreeze you thought about feeding to the neighbor's barking dogs, the newer stuff is either red or blue in color...and it's much pricier. Why? Because it's silicone based and can last 4 years or more. Expect to see this type of coolant in higher end vehicles like BMWs, Mercedes and even higher-end GM cars are coming off the factory assembly lines with this in their radiators.

Older cars used to run multiple belts...but today's cars usually have a single of multi-rib or "serpentine" belt...which makes this even more critical than ever before.  One belt breaks, you're toast.

6. Wanna make your air conditioner work better and protect your vehicle's interior? Then install window tint: Tinted windows will keep your interior cooler and your air conditioning will work much more efficiently. Tint installer warning!!! Make sure you go to a qualified tint installer who offers a warranty, as well as one who knows how to install a "legal tint." If it's too dark, you not only make yourself a target for suspicious cops, but you're setting yourself up for a ticket.

And here's one incredibly easy way to help your air conditioner work properly: Leave your sunroof or windows cracked slightly. This will allow the heat to escape and in turn, accelerate the cooling-down process.  Yeah, I know that's just a no-brainer/common-sense sorta tip, but you'd be amazed at how the most obvious advice is the first to be overlooked.

7. Bonus Tip of the Week! Don't for get to check the spare tire: Road trips are fun, until you get a flat tire. When was the last time you checked yours? One more tip: Make sure you've gotta jack and lug wrench (and other associated tools) to change your flat tire. A spare won't do you any good if you can't install it!