Winter is coming and we're hearing from experts about how to prepare for that first snowfall.

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Temperatures are dropping to the 40s Thursday - and that's just a taste of what we'll be feeling this winter.

It's always best to be ahead of something instead of behind something - especially when its your car in the cold.

Owner of Rochester Complete Auto Repair Travis Batdorf shares some tips on making sure your vehicle is running smoothly as winter long.

Warm the car up for a couple of minutes to get the oil pumping to the top before heading out for work or school in the morning - but never leave your car running unattended!

Get your car checked over before winter even hits!

Check things like the battery, anti-freeze, oil level, and most importantly - the tires - things like tread depth and tire pressure.

Wiper blades should be replaced around every six months - and be careful of how much snow or ice is on your windshield.

"Don't use your wipers to remove the ice - that's what damages the wiper blades. Also if you have a lot of snow on there, you want to clear all that out. Because if you try to use your wipers, that could damage the wiper motor, the wiper blades, the wiper transmission. So try and clear that out manually before you turn that stuff on," said Batdorf.

He said the biggest thing they see is the car battery dying once the cold hits. The average car battery lasts about five years.

Once that snow fall hits, it's always the tire pressure.

A reminder that once winter comes - a lot of the air service stations at gas stations will be frozen because it's so cold, and you won't be able to use it. so get ahead of it.

"Temperature will change your tire pressure on your vehicle. For about every 10-15 degrees of temperature change, tire pressure will change by a pound. So when we get to that first cold snap, a lot of tire lights are coming on and people are coming in having us check their tire pressures. Before winter gets here, before the cold snap gets here, we should check those tire pressures. Maybe bump them up a little bit in anticipation of the cold weather coming in," said Batdorf.

On the side of the tire, there will be a maximum inflation for the tire itself, but what you'll want to look at is the white sheet on the inside of your car door - every car has one. Batdorf said to off of that inflation for your vehicle.

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