MATTYDALE -- Kiss Montanez is trying to stay ahead of the snowy weather. Kiss says, "I started having problems with my other car in the past winter. That's why now I'm doing brakes, rotors, heat. Done for the winter."

That's just the short list technicians at Monroe's in Mattydale suggest. Technician Bob Cree says, "Coolant, if its not up to par, you could have problems if it gets cold out. Batteries, they always act up when it gets colder. They recommend replacements about every 5 years."

One must do for winterizing your car is checking your tires. It's a two step process. First, is the classic penny test: Take a penny, put it upside down in the tread of your tires. If the tread goes past Lincoln's head, you should be fine. If it stays below, you may want to look at getting new tires.

The other thing you want to do is monitor your air pressure in your tires. To find out what it should be at, just check the inside of your driver side door, passenger side door, gas flap or inside the trunk."

Mechanics also suggest an emergency kit complete with a blanket, bottled water, jumper cables, first aid kit and flares, to name a few.

To avoid making mistakes, always see a professional, some places like Monroe will check for free.