Buffalo
winters can be a costly nuisance for vehicle owners – especially if
preventative measures aren’t taken to ensure the safety of their automobile.
“During
the winter, we see a large increase in people who suffer significant damage
from the road conditions,” said Sam Buscarino, owner of Sammy’s Auto Repair
& Collision at 369 Niagara St.
Buscarino
said that his shop often repairs vehicles that suffer damage due to snow- or
ice-covered potholes.
“Potholes
get hidden and drivers can really do some damage to their vehicles, which can
be costly,” he said.
Dan
Sciolino, service manager and co-owner of Buffalo Motor Works, suggested that
vehicle owners should constantly check their tires and pressure.
“Everyone
should be using snow tires in the winter months, especially in the northeast,”
he said. “It’s common for people not to pay attention to tires or tire
pressure, and that is a huge cause of accidents.”
Salt
buildup also serves as an issue for vehicles.
“Salt
is the enemy of the mechanic in Buffalo,” Sciolino said. “It seizes all the
hardware on the vehicle over time.”
When
salt builds up, it works its way between the nuts and bolts of a vehicle and
can lock them together, Sciolino said. As a result, labor costs rise due to the
time it takes mechanics to free up the bolts.
Sciolino
said that simply washing your car is an effective means of minimizing salt
damage.
“Wash
your car as much as you can,” he said. “If you have an indoor garage then it’d
be great to spray the underside of the car every day to minimize salt damage.” By Tom Gallagher and Mike Straw