Use checklist to winterize your vehicle

Dear Readers: There's nothing worse than your car breaking down on a frigid day. Now's the time to winterize it, and here are five hints to help you:
UCheck the battery for corrosion on the terminals, and have loose or frayed cables replaced.
UBe sure that belts and hoses are free from frays, cracks or bulges. These are warning signs for trouble.
UCheck the manual for the recommended "cold weather" tire pressure.
URadiator caps and thermostats should be replaced after four years or 60,000 miles; coolant every two years or 30,000 miles.
UChange the windshield-wiper blades when needed. If they don't work well in the rain, they certainly won't work well in the snow.
UJust because you have done all you can to prevent a breakdown doesn't mean it won't happen! Keep a blanket, small shovel and good walking shoes in the trunk. Also pack a bottle of water and nonperishable snacks -- it's better to be safe than sorry! Heloise
Dear Heloise: On our travels, I find I use many of the helpful hints you have had in your columns. A few more useful items for me are earplugs (noisy trucks outside some motels); an eye mask, in case the drapes are not heavy enough to darken the room adequately; and a can of disinfecting spray -- just to be sure. Helen, Summerfield, Fla.
Dear Heloise: To keep an internal-spring shower-curtain rod from slipping, use the rubber-mesh material that is put under throw rugs to keep them in place. Cut four pieces that are the same size as the ends of the rod (two pieces for each end has better traction than one piece). Adjust the length of the rod to hold the material firmly against the wall or tile.
This material is also great for lining the trays of toolboxes to keep tools in place. Estee, Dallas
Dear Heloise: If you have pictures that you are trying to find a home for, especially pictures of your hometown businesses, citizens and their homes, etc., donate them to the local museum for a pictorial history. Or, if a family member has passed away and you do not want the person's pictures, donate them to the museum in the town where they were taken -- especially in small communities.
I have been putting together a pictorial history the past several years from photos that have been donated and loaned (to have copied). Some are wonderful pictures of our past -- businesses, homes, citizens, waterways, etc. Doris Setzer, Brazoria, Texas
Dear Heloise: Here's a hint that I have found useful: At Christmas, many of us get bath sets as gifts. With most of us having our own favorite body wash, these bath sets just get put away in a closet. I now use the body wash in my soap dispenser in the guest bathroom. The body lotion goes into the lotion dispenser. Jeanette Mathes, via e-mail
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate