Remember last spring when you started wondering if the A/C was working up to par with the summer ahead? It’s time to start thinking in terms of your car’s heater and its ability to keep you warm.

Your car’s heater is important for more than mere comfort, however. It’s also important for clearing frost and fog off the inside of your windows. In this case, an issue of comfort gives way to an issue of safety – yours, your passengers and people in other cars and pedestrians. 

Your car’s heater blows warm air onto the windows and helps clear the windows when you first start the engine and helps keep the windows clear as your driving. Many cars also combine the heating benefits of the heater in combination with your car’s A/C. The air conditioning tends to dry the air. Some cars will operate the A/C in tandem with the heater to bath the windshield with warm air while simultaneously drying the air.

Your car probably has the following controls used for operating the heater: a fan switch to set the level of air flow, a directional switch to determine where the air should blow and a temperature to set the temperature of the air coming out of the heater vents. You should take some time, before winter sets in, to check these controls and make sure they’re working properly. You also want to check to make sure the air coming out of the vents blows hot.

If the air isn’t hot, the first thing to check is the level of your antifreeze/coolant. Often, when this is low, the air will blow hot a while and then go cold as a pocket of air passes through the heater core. Filling the antifreeze/coolant to the proper level, using the proper mix of antifreeze/coolant and water, will help. However, you may want to check into why you’re low on antifreeze/coolant to begin with. 

If you have a leak, you’ll only have to fill the radiator again later. And leaks can sometimes increase. You could find yourself stuck on the side of the road, in the middle of winter, with an overheated engine. There’s something just plain wrong about an overheated engine on a frigid day.

When you discover the fluid is low in your radiator, take your car to a qualified car care representative, such as Performance Unlimited, and have your cooling system checked for a leak.

If your radiator is not low, you may have a clogged heater core or some other problem. Once again, bring a qualified car care specialist into the equation.