If you spend enough time reading automotive care magazines, you will start to see the same fall maintenance tips over and over: Check your tire pressure, inspect your brake rotors, inspect fluid levels, and maybe even check the two-digit month and year on your battery to see if it is nearing the end of its life (typically 3-5 years on average). While these are all great suggestions to work into your maintenance schedule, they are a bit redundant. We thought a new list with some oddball ideas might be a better fit.

Do Not Leaf Them Be

As fall weather sets in and the season of the sticks arrives across much of America, those wayward leaves can cause more problems for your car than you might expect. As leaves break down, the debris can clog drains such as sunroof and A/C drains, which in some cases leads to water pooling inside the cabin, often near the A pillars or front footwells. Left unchecked, this moisture can become an electrical nightmare waiting to happen.
Drains are not the only areas affected by tree debris. Leaves can also block ventilation passages or, even worse, collect inside the lower fender area, trapping moisture and accelerating rust. 
The best practice is to open the hood and doors, reach into those trouble spots, and use a leaf blower to clear out the debris. For more stubborn areas, such as behind the fenders, a shop vac or compressed air can help you remove even more.

SpongeBob Not Welcome Here

Absorbent and yellow and porous as SpongeBob may be, that is the last thing you want to see in your engine bay hoses. These hoses carry various fluids and endure countless heat cycles through their lifespan. Although the rubber can handle internal pressure and temperature, the exterior can become weathered and worn, eventually developing cracks or porous spots that can lead to leaks and potentially far more serious issues such as engine overheating.

With the hood open and the engine cold, feel each hose for spongy sections or brittle areas where the rubber has hardened. Both are signs of a potential leak. While you are at it, this is also a great time to inspect your belts for fraying or cracking. A broken serpentine belt can lead to the loss of your water pump, alternator, and other essential components.

Checking the Undercarriage

Before the snow falls and road salt starts covering the streets, it is the perfect time to clean the underside of your car and check for early signs of rust on the exhaust, chassis, and suspension components. There is nothing worse than wrenching on a car in freezing temperatures, second only to discovering an exhaust leak, which can also become a serious safety hazard if fumes make their way into the cabin.

This is also an ideal time to apply anti-corrosion treatments to the underside of your vehicle to help slow rust development and extend the life of your components. Products like rubberized undercoating, fluid film, or oil-based rust inhibitors create a protective barrier that shields metal from moisture and salt. Just make sure the surface is clean and dry before application; sealing in dirt or existing rust only makes the problem worse. Paying attention to high-risk areas such as pinch welds, rear subframes, brake lines, and exhaust hangers can go a long way toward preventing winter damage and expensive repairs in the future.

Extending Your Car's Life

While almost everything on your vehicle has an expected shelf life, using these tips and techniques can help extend that life or at least get you through another winter without downtime. So, before a blanket of snow covers the ground, look at your car for these few things, and maybe dig around for a few more. As the saying goes, take care of your car and it will take care of you.