Vermont auto shops say customers making the switch to winter tires early

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With frost forecasted, colder temperatures are here, and while you may not be ready to think about winter yet, it's almost time to head to your local automotive shop to get your winter tires and make sure your car is ready for the snow.

While Nov. 1 is the unofficial deadline for many car owners, shops recommend booking your appointment sooner rather than later.

"It's really important that we get our cars ready for the winter," said Hometown Tire and Auto owner Steve Doney.

He's seen his fair share of Vermont winters over the past 34 years. Customers have already come to the shop to get their snow tires, and he said he only expects to get busier.

"It's already started, but the first couple of days in a row, and rainy drizzle is as good as snow," Doney said. "It'll be wild."

It's not just tires you have to worry about. Doney said your battery, windshield washer fluid, and even your wipers should be looked at to save yourself the cost down the road.

"Five to seven years old is all we're seeing on battery life," said Doney. "A lot of the small things like winter wipers or even a proper wiper blade, snow brushes, but what we need to check is to see that you have proper antifreeze or windshield washer fluid."

At Girlington Garage in South Burlington, service manager Nya Key said if you're the kind of person to wait for the snow to start falling, you might want to rethink that.

"Let's say December to January when it's full-on winter in Vermont. There are a lot of customers who will call around and see who's available because they realize they want winter tires," Key said. "The thing about waiting that long is everyone's usually already booked up, so it can turn into an emergency where you don't feel like you can make your car safer."

If you're worried about the cost of a new set of snow tires, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity is holding its annual Wheels for Warmth event.

"Being able to provide sets of gently used tires that are good for at least another season to families," said Travis Poulin, community action network director. "It's just another way of stretching money, helping meet basic needs of keeping people on the road, keeping people being able to go to work if necessary, get to their medical appointments, things along those lines through the Wheels for Warmth program."

To find out how you can donate to Wheels for Warmth or receive donated tires, click here.