Give Your Truck A Spring Cleaning: Give your exterior a top to bottom clean by hosing down your pick-up bed, cleaning your tires and wheels and by giving it a good scrub, wax & polish. Your interior could also do with a once over by vacuuming seats, carpets and floor mats, and by using disinfectant on the steering wheel, instrument panels and door handles.
Change Your Washer Fluid: Summer fluid contains a stronger detergent that is ideal for removing bugs and dirt.
Lighten Your Load: Remove any unnecessary weight such as sandbags you may have been using for extra traction. This will save space and fuel.
Rotate or Change Your Tires: Check the depth of your tire tread for excessive and uneven wear and the sidewalls for damage from road debris or cracking due to age and UV exposure. If you're still using winter tires, replace them with all-season tires. This will prevent unnecessary wear and improve fuel consumption, as winter tires have a higher level of traction on the road that you won't need during the spring and summer months.
Test or Replace Your Battery: Winter can be rough on your battery, decreasing its performance by up to 60%. It's a good idea to have your battery load tested if it's a few years old and, if necessary, replace your old battery - it beats a tow or roadside replacement.
Check Your Brakes for Winter Damage: Inspect your brake system including lines, hoses and parking brake. Check the level of your brake fluid as low brake fluid can be an indication of excessive brake wear or fluid leak. Also check the colour of your brake fluid through the transparent fluid reservoir. It it's dark, it means it's dirty and it's time to flush the brake fluid system. Have the brake linings and pads inspected and measured and make sure the calipers slide freely on disc brake equipped models and that pad wear is even and consistent between the inner and outer pads.
Have Your Suspension Inspected: Deep potholes aren't friendly to shocks and struts. An inspection to determine wear or leaks can alleviate bigger issues down the road.
Check Your Oil: In extreme temperatures, it's recommended that you check your engine oil more frequently. Check your owner's manual for the viscosity grade recommended for your truck's engine. If your truck is equipped with the GM Oil Life Monitor, the system will ensure that you get the maximum life out of your engine's oil.
Inspect Your Belts & Hoses: Inspect and replace worn or cracked belts, as well as hoses that are blistered, brittle or too soft. A broken belt can damage your engine components.
Check the Cooling System: Check hoses and radiator for leaks. Also check the coolant recovery system under the hood when the engine is cold. Add the coolant recommended in your owner's manual, if required.
Get Your AC Ready for Summer: Check your A/C for leaks and ask your GM Goodwrench technician to clean and disinfect the air conditioning system with a Cooling-Coil Coating that reduces odour.
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