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As we look to put the cap on winter, it’s time to start preparing for traveling this spring. With the hope of warmer temps on the horizon, the experts at Lithia Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Missoula wish to offer you some helpful service advice. Whether you’re shopping for service or looking to do your own DIY maintenance at home, these five seasonal repair tips will help you get started.

Headline: Take Advantage of Mopar® Vehicle Protection Road Hazard Tire & Wheel Coverage From Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Missoula for Emergency Tire Service

Being stuck with a flat tire, whether at home or on the road, can cause a lot of stress. With your busy schedule and the added expense of having emergency tire service completed, considering Mopar® Vehicle Protection Road Hazard Tire & Wheel Coverage for added peace of mind is a smart choice. 

Now that winter is here, it's important that you prepare your car for harsh conditions, such as ice-covered roads, frigid temperatures, and heavy snow when you're driving around Missoula. At Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Missoula, let us help you prepare your vehicle for winter with these tips.

Make sure that all your vehicle's fluids are at optimal levels. Have your car's defroster and climate control system checked. The defroster will prevent the windows from icing up, and the climate control system helps keep the cabin warm. Try to keep your gas tank full because this…

Most car owners understand the importance of regular oil changes. It's just as important to choose the right type of oil for your vehicle. An important factor to consider is oil viscosity.

Viscosity is just another way of describing an oil's thickness and how quickly it moves. Low viscosity oils are ideal for cold environments and high viscosity choices offer the best performance if you live in a warm location. Most motor oils have two numbers. 

Four wheel drive vehicles can be of great use in a variety of situations. While some 4X4 vehicles are permanently set to that gear configuration, some models allow for the use of either two or four wheels. These vehicles are often called part-time four-wheel drive trucks because of this flexible gearing setup. Transmission manufacturers design their own transfer cases, but most models fit into certain molds. These include chain powered, gear powered, independent, and married designs.

Chain powered transfer cases use strong metal links to transfer power between engine and axles. 

Synthetic oil? Conventional oil? If you are a new driver or have never thought about it, you might think that you need to be a mechanic to understand the difference. That's not true, though. Some of the basic distinctions are actually quite simple to explain.

Put simply, synthetic oil consists of entirely man-made materials that were produced in a lab. Conventional oil, on the other hand, is made of a blend. Natural oil is the base in what is called conventional oil, but synthetic materials are added to the natural oil. 

Don't underestimate how important it can be to drive your car this winter with the tank full of gas. If you like riding around close to empty, here are a few things you may want to consider before heading out on the Missoula, MT roads this season.

Icy and snow-covered roads are hard enough to navigate, a lighter car just makes it that much more difficult. Filling the tan with gas adds more weight to the back of your car and will enable the tread from the rear tires to bite into those slick conditions and hold the road…

If you feel financing is the roadblock to getting the car of your dreams, read on. Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Missoula has now made the process easier than ever before. Simply go online and fill out our online application. Your application will be responded to by a financing expert, who'll issue a pre-approval. It's really that simple.

Each year, we all face the issue of treacherous winter weather making driving conditions dangerous for even the most experienced among us. Here at Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Missoula, we recommend the use of a winter emergency kit carried in your car at all times. This can help keep you from getting stuck in snow or ice, leading to an even more dangerous scenario. What should you include in your auto kit for winter?

One thing about newer vehicles is that their ongoing maintenance tasks actually change with the times, and that includes oil changes. You probably have gotten accustomed to changing your oil every 3,000 miles, but that actually could be too much. Did you know that some newer models and newer engine oils actually can go as far as 10,000 miles between oil changes? Think of how much money you could save doing that.