Winter Car Maintenance
Our hottest motoring tips to see you through a cold winter…
Breakdowns and accidents are more common in the winter when road conditions are challenging. But with a bit of planning, you can ensure your car is ready for the winter weather. Here are our top essential car maintenance tips that anyone can follow.
1. Check Your Oil Levels And Keep An Eye On Your Fuel Gauge
According to the RAC, one in three roadside breakdowns involve cars that are dangerously low on oil. When the car is fully warmed up, take out the dipstick and check that the oil level is between the minimum and maximum marks, and top up if necessary. Being stranded with an empty tank in freezing conditions is no picnic, so keep plenty of fuel in the tank and don’t try to eek out the last few miles when the warning light comes on.
2. Keep Your Lights Clean
Snow, rain, ice and salt can play havoc with your car and can make your lights dangerously grimy. You can lose an estimated 40% of luminosity in about 20 miles on a damp, gritted motorway, so keep your lights clean by rubbing over them with a cloth or – if you have them fitted – use the headlamp washers. Wipe down your number plate too - you could face a fine if you drive around with an unreadable registration plate.
3. Check Your Tyres, Battery And Brakes
Stopping distances increase in icy, snowy or wet conditions so don’t drive around on worn tyres. Tyres need a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm by law, but experts recommend you change tyres at 3mm to maintain safe stopping distances. Don’t forget to check you have a roadworthy spare too. The risk of battery failure is greater in cold, wet and icy weather, so aim to change your car’s battery every three years if possible, or sooner if it’s causing you problems in the cold weather. Your brakes need to be in tip-top condition, especially in winter, so if they squeal, make other noises or generate unusual sensations, get them checked.
4. Check Your Wiper Blades And Top Up On Windscreen Wash
Check your wipers are in good condition, with no tears or holes, and can clean your windscreen properly. You can give them a wipe with a clean cloth every now and then to remove any trapped grit or leaves. But if your windscreen is frozen don’t pull the wiper blades off frozen glass or turn them on as the rubber may tear. Check the levels in your windscreen washer. During winter you’ll be using a lot of washer fluid and not only is it dangerous to have an empty washer bottle, it’s illegal too.
5. Carry The Right Gear
Ensure you keep the following items in your car, especially if you’re planning a long journey and/or you live in a rural or countryside community: an ice scraper and de-icer, a warning triangle, warm clothing and a blanket, rug or sleeping bag, practical footwear like wellies, a torch and spare batteries, a mobile phone and charger, a shovel (in snowy conditions).
Get your car booked in for a winter check with a local garage now. Give DW Autos Rugby a call now on 01788 314587
“Ensure a safe drive this winter, get it checked over by an expert”