Our El Niño car prep checklist

1. Headlights

It's not just about seeing the road. In a storm, it's about other drivers seeing you. Get someone to stand outside while you flip through headlights, brake lights and turn signals. If your lenses have gone yellow and foggy, they're throwing a lot less light than you think. That can usually be fixed with a restoration instead of new housings. And remember, in California, if your wipers are on, your headlights need to be on too.

2. Wipers

Wiper rubber hates summer. It bakes, gets hard, and then the first time you actually need it, it chatters across the glass or leaves streaks right in your line of sight. If your blades are more than six months to a year old, just replace them now. They're cheap. While you're at it, fill the washer fluid and give the inside of the windshield a good cleaning. A film on the inside is half the reason windows fog up.

3. Tire Tread

This is the one that scares us most. Your tread is what pushes water out from under the tire. When it gets low, the tire can ride up on a layer of water and you lose steering and braking for a second or two. That's hydroplaning, and it happens fast.



Legally you can run tires down to 2/32" in California, but in the rain they stop gripping well long before that. We like to see people replace around 4/32". Quick way to check: stick a quarter in the tread upside down. If you can see the top of Washington's head, it's time to start shopping. Check your pressures too, since cold mornings drop them.

4. Brakes

Wet roads mean longer stops, period. Brakes that feel "fine" in August can feel a lot less fine on a wet off-ramp. If you're hearing squealing or grinding, if the car pulls to one side, or if the pedal feels soft, come see us. Brake fluid also pulls in moisture over the years, so if you can't remember the last time it was flushed, it's probably due. And give yourself extra room on that first rainy day. All the oil that built up on the road over summer comes up at once, and it gets slick.

5. Windshield Chips

That little rock chip you've been ignoring since spring? Cold rain hitting warm glass, or the defroster blasting on a cold windshield, is exactly what turns a chip into a crack across the whole thing. A chip smaller than a quarter can usually be repaired. A crack usually can't. A lot of insurance policies cover chip repair, too, so it's worth a call.

6. Sunroof Drains

Most people don't know these exist. Every sunroof has small drain tubes in the corners that run water down and out through the body. Over the summer they fill up with leaves and dirt, and then the first big storm backs water up into the headliner, the carpet, and sometimes the wiring and modules.

That last part gets expensive.



If you've ever had a damp headliner, wet floor mats, a musty smell or windows that won't stop fogging, a clogged drain is a likely suspect. Clearing them takes a few minutes. Fixing water damage takes a lot longer.

A few extra notes for Toyota, Honda and Lexus owners (and hybrids and EVs)

Japanese cars are our bread and butter, and they hold up great. Rain still finds the weak spots, though.

If you drive a hybrid like a Prius or a RAV4 Hybrid, your regular brakes don't get used as much because the car does a lot of the slowing down on its own. That's great for pad life, but it also means rotors can rust and calipers can get lazy, especially once things get wet. Worth having us take a look.

EVs are heavy, and heavy cars go through tires faster than people expect. Keep an eye on that tread more often than you would on a gas car. A fresh cabin air filter helps the defroster do its job, too.

Got a panoramic roof? More glass usually means more drains, so make sure all of them get cleared, not just the two up front. And on older cars, take a look at the rubber seals around the doors and trunk. Cracked seals are a common way water ends up in the spare tire well.

Questions we get a lot this time of year