Preparing Your Car Ahead of Winter
The upcoming snow could have people scrambling to get prepared, especially if they plan on traveling for Thanksgiving.
Employees at Flynn's Tire on Pittsburgh Avenue are working almost twelve hour days putting on snow tires for customers.
Adam Stablien, the General Manager of Flynn's Tire said, "You start off the day with a three hour wait and now we are up to a six hour wait and it's 10:00 a.m. and it started last Thursday." Stablien said it takes about 25 minutes to put on a set of snow tires on a vehicle and they try to get six done every hour. As Stablien described, "We document everything. The tires come off, we have to remove them, we clean them, all the hubs, all the back of the wheels. We change the tires and bolt them back up and ship you out."
Staff said the slower start to winter has led people scrambling to get their snow tires put on now. As Stablien explained, "It's a little later than normal. It's been quiet. I think the news report of the snow coming has definitely effected it."
While staff was busy working inside on all the cars, there was a long line of cars waiting outdoors to get their snow tires put on ahead of the snow. According to Stablien, "They hear the weather, they are getting a little more nervous, they know they should be taking care of it and now they are coming in."
Experts at AAA said having a car equipped to handle snow is best ahead of Thanksgiving travel. According to Garrity, "We expect to rescue tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people on the roadside through the weekend and you don't want to be one of those people if you can avoid it and that comes down to properly maintaining your vehicle. The top three calls we are going to get and we typically get during the holidays are dead batteries, flat tires and lock outs."
Garrity also recommends budgeting extra time if you plan on hitting the road for thanksgiving and to consider changing your time of travel based on the weather