The freezing temperatures will take a toll on cars and could leave you stranded if you don’t take precautions.

Experts at Reliable Tire and Auto Center said tires, batteries and fuel levels should be checked multiple times throughout the winter season.

When going out to warm up your car in the morning, experts said 15 to 20 minutes is a good time to leave it running.

One worker, Brad Waite, said the cold can cause some parts of the car to simply stop working.

“We have seen at times when the battery just [dies], it’s just that cold, or maybe the fuel line or the break lines have potentially froze, so we pull the vehicle in the shop, basically let it deice and dethaw, and at that time, we can kinda diagnose it from there, if it needs anything further, or it just needs to be thawed out,” Waite said.

He added batteries can go dead without any notice.

“It doesn’t take much for the extreme temperature to wear down on a battery. It’s something I highly recommend you have checked, especially this time of year. Even if you’re coming in for routine maintenance, we’ll gladly check the battery for you, and let you know how much time is left, so you’re not stranded out there when it definitely gets very cold out.”

Folks should leave no less than a half tank of gas in their cars. Waite said the fuel can freeze if there’s not enough in there, so remember to top off if you see that little arrow point below half.