As temperatures begin to drop in Michigan, the condition of your vehicle becomes increasingly important. The last thing you want is to be cruisn' down the road, and your heater goes out during a snow storm. Or you're on a long stretch of road driving up north, and the engine suddenly dies.

Now is the time to check under the hood and make sure your car is in top shape. But, it would be wise to check under the hood on a regular basis too, for our furry friends' sake.

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Check For Furry Friends

Cooler temperatures mean that our furry friends (and a LOT of stink bugs, apparently), begin looking for warmer shelter. Usually, they find that in sheds, garages, abandoned buildings, and brush. But if you're desperate for some heat, and a warm car engine is nearby, that's a great place to take a nap.

It's not just cats, but smaller creatures like squirrels, and chipmunks, possums, and raccoons. In a matter of minutes, they'll take shelter in and around your vehicles.

More often than not, the first place they'll hide is underneath your vehicles, especially during winter storms. It's a good place to stay out of the wind, and the snow. Plus, if you drove the vehicle recently, the engine is warm.

But sometimes, younger animals, who don't have real-world experience yet, will climb clear up into the engine compartments or wheel wells. So, it's a smart idea to keep an eye out, just in case.

If you have a vehicle that has sat for the majority of the spring and summer, but is primarily used for fall and winter, then it's an especially good idea to make sure that woodland creatures, and neighborhood cats haven't claimed it as their own. The last thing you want to do is try to turn over your truck engine, and a squirrel's next full of acorns goes flying around in your engine compartment, or worse, the squirrel itself.

Not only could these animals cause damage to your vehicle, but obviously, it could result in their serious injury, or death.

So this fall and winter, as we change our driving patterns some, keep an eye out for our furry friends and make sure they aren't where they shouldn't be.