October is National Car Care Month and with winter driving weather right around the corner I think this will be a good time to review some essential elements of maintenance to see you through till spring. 

1) Your tires.  Check the air pressure.  Tires that aren't checked

regularly typically are 5-10 psi too low.  This causes a number of problems.  One, it wastes fuel since it takes more power to push a flat tire down the highway than one which is properly inflated.  Two, tires which are either under or over-inflated wear out much more quickly.  Three, under-inflated tires don't handle very well in emergency situations such as a sudden swerve to avoid some jerk like me pulling out in front of you.

2) Your battery.  The things that kill batteries are age and changes in temperature like when it goes from 75 degrees in the afternoon to 35 degrees that night.

NASA should hire battery engineers to do all its critical calculations

the PCV valve, and fuel injection service.

4)  Change your oil.  Clean oil of the right viscosity is critical to engine survival.  Cold cranking causes 90 percent of engine wear.  Oil must be thin enough to quickly reach the piston rings during cranking but not so thin it won't hold up under a hot engine load.  Follow your owner's guide (it's that book in your glove compartment) and don't let the boneheads at the barbershop talk you into running straight 30 weight in your V-6 Accord.

5) Fix the brakes.  A good brake job is more than your brother-in-law sticking new pads on the front.  The rotors should be checked for scoring and warpage.  The hoses should be inspected along with the