Inside: Car Maintenance and Driving Safety Tips for the Cold Months. Collaborative post.
Cold weather can have a sizeable effect on sensitive metal machinery, of the kind that you’ll find in your car. As such, winter-time can cause mechanical failures, as well as a range of other problems, for motorists.
You might find that your battery loses its charge, or that your tyres no longer provide the required grip, or that your engine stops firing altogether. Anything that you can do to lessen the likelihood, and the extent, of these problems, is worth doing.
If you want to get the best from your car during winter, then there are a few tips you’ll want to bear in mind. So, what are they?
Swap your tyres
Your tyres will play a huge role on the performance of your car. You should check that they’re adequately inflated, ideally at regular intervals. You should also check the tread depth – tyres which are approaching the legal minimum of 1.6mm should be replaced.
You might consider investing in specialised winter tyres. These are made from a slightly more pliant kind of rubber, which means that they’re at lower risk of cracking in cold weather. Winter tyres also tend to come with more generous tread, which means that you’ll be better equipped to deal with puddles and sheet ice.
You can buy tyres online at a discount and fit them yourself.
Pack an emergency kit
If you get stuck at the roadside in freezing conditions, you’ll be glad that you packed an emergency kit in the back of your car. This should include a first-aid kit, as well as blankets, water and dried food, as well as a torch. If you have to go outside and check something, you don’t want to be wholly reliant on the torch in your phone.
Keep the battery charged
The battery in your car will stand a much greater chance of failing when the weather is cold. Make sure that you don’t leave the car sitting on the drive for too long at a time if you can help it; in doing so, you risk losing the charge.
Top up your fluids
The fluids in your car should be topped up regularly, but this is especially important during winter. Your screenwash in particular should be changed – go for a higher concentration in order to avoid your wipers freezing up. You might also test your heated windscreen to ensure that it can actually do its job.
Test your lights
If you’re not doing much night-time driving, then it can be easy to miss when your lights fail. Make sure that you’re regularly testing them, so that you don’t get caught out at the crucial moment. Keep a stock of spares in the boot, and learn how to replace them at the roadside.