For most people, summer means beaches, ice cream and grilling outdoors. But when the weather turns warmer, it can be hard on your car. Fortunately, some simple maintenance tasks will prepare your care for warm weather driving and help you have a summer full of pleasant driving experiences.

First, if it’s time for an oil change, have your oil changed. Many other important tasks happen during the course of an oil change – the mechanics also check your brake fluid and look at your hoses and belts for wear. If the place where you regularly have your engine oil changed doesn’t perform these additional checks, find out if they provide this service or plan to have it done elsewhere. An ounce of preventive maintenance is worth a ton of repair bills.

You should also have your radiator flushed and filled. The coolant in your car’s radiator keeps your engine from overheating – in fact, this is the same system that keeps your engine from freezing in the winter. It’s a good idea to flush and fill your radiator at any major seasonal changes to remove any debris or gunky buildup that would prevent the coolant from doing its job.

Now is also a good time to replace your windshield wipers. In many areas, spring and summer bring with them lots of showers and thunderstorms. You want to make sure you can see out of your windshield, and wipers are inexpensive and easy to replace. This is also a good time to make sure your windshield washer fluid reservoir is full.

If you were in an area that required snow tires, it’s time to retire them and go back to using all purpose or all season tires. This is also a good time to have your tires rotated and balanced and your alignment and brakes checked if they’re giving you any signs there could be something amiss. And when you’re working with your tires, always remember to check your spare. Make sure it’s the right size for your car, in good repair and has plenty of air in case it’s needed.

The beginning of warm weather is also a good time to check your car’s air conditioning. Turn the air conditioning on and see how it’s working. Is the air cold? Does it come out with sufficient force? If the answer to either of those questions is no, it’s time to take your care in for repairs.

Just as you wear sunscreen outside to protect your skin from sun damage, your car’s finish and paint can be damaged by exposure to the sun. Apply a good coat of wax or paint sealant at the beginning of the season to help prevent the sun from damaging your car’s paint. To protect the vinyl surfaces inside your car, have them treated with a protectant that will prevent cracking or fading.

And finally, the changing of seasons is also a good time to take a look at your car’s first aid kits – both the one for the people and the one for the car. Replace any materials that are past their prime, add any seasonal specifics – like additional water to drink – and dispose of any materials that have lost their effectiveness, such as dead flashlight batteries.