Berks Connect
Cars & Auto

How to Winterize Your Car in Berks County

The pre-winter checklist for a Berks driver: the mechanic's look at brakes, battery, belts and hoses, the battery test, tires, wipers, the trunk kit, what local shops charge, the two state rules on snow and headlights, and when Reading's first snow usually comes.

Berks Connect Blog|Published November 8, 2026
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Winterizing your car comes down to one short list: have a shop check the brakes, battery, belts and hoses, then check the fluids, wipers, tires and lights yourself and put a kit in the trunk. All but one of the Berks shops in this post that post a check list it as free or fold it into an oil change, and the whole job fits in a week. Reading's first measurable snow usually holds off until early December, and about one November in three it comes earlier, so a week from now is fine and a month from now is a gamble.

Our page of auto repair shops in Berks County lists the county's garages, from single-bay independents to the chains, so pick the one you already trust and call this week. The rest is a driveway job.

How to winterize your car: the checklist.

The state's own pre-winter list is short: the part a mechanic does, then the part you can do with a tire gauge and a quarter. In the order I'd work through it:

  • Book the mechanic's look at the brakes, battery, hoses and belts. A shop's quick look over the car is usually called a multi-point inspection, and at the shops below it's free or part of an oil change.
  • Get the battery tested. Cold is what finds a weak battery: at 5 degrees, a fully charged battery delivers about half its rated capacity. Test it every fall: a battery usually lasts four to six years in a cooler climate by one count and three to five by another, and the Sinking Spring Jiffy Lube Oil Change & Multicare says three to five as well. The auto parts stores in Berks County often test a battery free, and so do several of the shops below.
  • Check the tire pressure and the tread. Pressure falls about 1 psi for every 10-degree drop, so check it against the driver's door placard, not the sidewall. Tread depth is how much groove is left, in 32nds of an inch. Put a quarter into a tread groove head first. If you can see the top of Washington's head, the tread is down to about 4/32 of an inch and it's time to start shopping. A penny the same way, with the top of Lincoln's head showing, means 2/32, and the tire is worn out. Our post on winter tires in Berks County covers whether to buy a winter set.
  • Replace streaking wipers and fill the washer fluid. Plan on at least one new set of blades a year, and never use them as an ice scraper. Winter wiper blades wrap the frame in a rubber boot so ice can't build up. Fill the reservoir with a winter washer fluid with antifreeze in it, so it doesn't freeze on the glass.
  • Check the fluids and the coolant. Every fluid should be full, and the antifreeze in the overflow tank should be a 50/50 mix with water. A cheap tester from a parts store tells you whether it protects to the cold Reading gets.
  • Run the heater, the defroster and the radio. All three should work before you need them; the radio is how you'll hear the weather and traffic reports.
  • Walk around the car with every light on. A dead bulb or wipers that don't clear the glass also fail the PA state inspection.

If anything turns up a problem, see a mechanic right away. That's the state's advice too.

What a Berks shop charges for the winter check.

None of the shops named here sells a "winter check" as a priced item of its own. At all but one it's listed as free, or it rides along with an oil change in Berks County.

Firestone Complete Auto Care at 244 Penn Street in Reading offers free battery tests and a free vehicle inspection.

Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 600 Revere Blvd in Reading offers battery checks and wiper and light checks as part of its oil change. Through December 5, 2026, Valvoline posts 15 percent off select preventive maintenance services.

Bachman's Auto Repair in Wernersville says to stop by for a quick battery test before the cold sets in. The Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers stores in Reading and Sinking Spring include a courtesy inspection with every oil change, CJ's Tire & Automotive in Birdsboro, Leesport and West Lawn lists a free multi-point inspection, and Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions on Fern Avenue in Reading does a free courtesy check. The Mavis Discount Tire stores in Berks post a $20 discount on an oil change that includes a tire rotation and a visual brake inspection, through December 31, 2026.

One Berks shop posts a price that includes the whole check, and another posts its price list; both are posted prices as of 2026. True Auto Repair at 4 Riga Lane in Birdsboro posts a $44.44 full synthetic oil change for new customers that includes a free seasonal check-up of the brakes, tires, lights, belts and hoses, and fluids. It's a limited-time offer, shop supplies and tax are extra, and some makes need a special oil at extra cost.

Dotterer's Auto Service on St. Lawrence Avenue in Reading posts prices for its common services. A synthetic oil change is from $89.95, headlight aiming and polishing from $39.95 (free when you're in for other work), and it lists fluid services for the coolant, power steering, transmission and washer fluid.

The money shows up when a test finds something, and then a battery replacement runs $456 to $493 nationally and a coolant change $440 to $512, parts and labor, taxes extra. Every price in this post is a posted price or a national estimate, your own number comes from the shop, and the two state rules below are quoted from the law as it reads today. Book it this week, and if none of these is yours, the rest of the auto repair shops in Berks County are on one page.

What goes in the trunk before the first storm.

The kit is the cheapest part of this and the one most people skip. Everything here but the last line is the state's own list:

  • A flashlight and batteries, and a battery-operated radio.
  • Jumper cables, your cellphone and a charger.
  • A snow shovel and an ice scraper.
  • Matches and candles, and first aid supplies.
  • Extra warm clothing and gloves, and a blanket.
  • Sand for traction, bottled water and non-perishable food.
  • Whatever your passengers need: medication, baby supplies, pet food.
  • A bag of cat litter or salt, or traction mats, flares or warning triangles, a tow strap and paper towels.

Pack it once and leave it there. Keep the gas tank at least half full all winter too; a running engine is your heat if you're stuck.

What Pennsylvania requires: snow off the car and headlights with wipers.

Two state rules matter on a snow morning, and the first is the snow-on-the-car law. If you drive it on a highway, you have to make reasonable efforts to get the snow and ice off, hood, trunk and roof included, within 24 hours after the snow stops, and a police officer can stop you if the pile looks like a threat; the fine is $50 whether or not anything blows off.

The law's words are that a driver "shall make reasonable efforts to remove accumulated ice or snow from the motor vehicle ... including the hood, trunk and roof" "within 24 hours after the cessation of the falling snow or ice", and the fine is "$50 for each offense regardless of whether any snow or ice is dislodged". When what comes off a moving vehicle "strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious bodily injury", the fine is "not less than $200 nor more than $1,500".

The second is the headlight rule. Headlights go on "any time when the vehicle's windshield wipers are in continuous or intermittent use due to precipitation or atmospheric moisture, including rain, snow, sleet or mist". If the wipers are moving, the lights are on.

When the first snow usually comes to Reading.

You might be wondering whether this can wait until after Thanksgiving. Over the thirty winters from 1991-92 through 2020-21, Reading's first measurable snow fell before New Year's in 25 of them, and in eleven it came in November. The middle date was December 5. November averages about 0.7 inches of snow and December about 4.2. Last winter's first fell on December 2, 2025. So most winters you've got until early December, and about one November in three you don't.

When it comes, the state's advice is plain: no cruise control on snow, and clear every window, mirror and light before you pull out. Road conditions, plow locations and about 1,200 traffic cameras are free at 511PA, the state's road-conditions website and app, or by dialing 5-1-1. When Reading declares a snow emergency, the city plows its snow emergency routes first, and cars left on those streets can be ticketed or towed. Snow on the walk, the pipes and the furnace are in our winter services guide.

Frequently asked questions.

How much does it cost to winterize a car in Berks County?

At all but one of the shops named here that post a check, it's listed as free or as part of an oil change, and the money shows up only when a test finds something.

Do I need winter wiper blades?

They aren't required. A winter blade wraps the frame in a rubber boot so ice can't build up on it, which matters most if the car sleeps outside. New blades run about $20 to $40 installed at one national chain, and Essig's Automotive in Reading says two sets a year, whichever kind you buy.

What should I do if I'm stranded in the snow?

Stay with the car. Run the engine about once an hour, keep the tailpipe clear of snow, and crack a window on the downwind side.

Sources

See the 10 places in this guide on the map