Winter 2025: What to Check on Your GM Vehicle

Winter in North Texas is a handful of hard freezes and a lot of rain. Both find the same weak points. Batteries that were marginal in the heat fail on the first cold morning. That is not a coincidence.

Electrical and Charging

The usual tell is the auto stop-start feature quietly deactivating itself. Batteries in Texas heat routinely give up between three and five years. Test annually after year three, before the first cold snap.

Parts in this group: batteries, battery cables, alternators, starters, body control modules. Vehicles with stop-start often use two batteries. Confirm which one you are replacing before ordering.

Glass and Wipers

The usual tell is a washer pump you can hear running with nothing coming out. Blades every six to twelve months. In North Texas, summer heat kills blades faster than winter does.

Parts in this group: wiper blades, wiper transmissions, wiper motors, washer pumps, rain sensors. Driver and passenger blades are frequently different lengths on the same vehicle.

Cooling System

The usual tell is a heater that blows cool at idle and warm at speed. GM’s long-life coolant is generally rated for 5 years or 150,000 miles on the first fill and 5 years or 100,000 miles after that. Hoses and the surge tank should be inspected annually once past 80,000 miles.

Parts in this group: radiators, water pumps, thermostats, coolant hoses, cooling fans. Engine, tow package and rear-A/C content all change the radiator and hose part numbers. Have the VIN ready.

Brakes

The usual tell is uneven pad thickness side to side when you pull a wheel. Inspect at every tire rotation. Most GM trucks and SUVs go 30,000 to 60,000 miles on front pads depending on how they are used, and towing cuts that hard.

Parts in this group: brake pads, brake rotors, brake calipers, brake hoses, wheel speed sensors. Front and rear pads are almost never the same part, and heavy duty, tow and performance brake packages use different calipers and rotors than the base vehicle.