It’s a sad fact that winter is just around the corner but on the upside that does mean Christmas is coming! With winter comes a higher risk of your car breaking down and being caught up in delays. To reduce the risk of breaking down and help ensure you are equipped to deal with the looming conditions we have come up with the following checklist for your car:-
1. Antifreeze – check your levels regularly. Get your garage to help with this if you need to.
2. Battery – a flat battery is the most common cause of breakdown during the winter. Get it checked and replaced if you need to. As a guide, a battery more than 5 years old may struggle in colder weather.
3. Fuel – keep at least a quarter of a tank in case of delays. You don’t want to be caught in a tailback panicking you are going to run out of fuel.
4. Lights – be safe, be seen! Ensure you keep your lights clean so they are visable and keep spare bulbs should you need them.
5. Tyres – check pressure at least every two weeks. Winter tyres are a consideration for improved safety (esp if you live in isolated areas more often affected by extreme weather conditions) but failing that your tyres should have at least 3mm of tread for the winter.
6. Windscreen – the sun is much lower in the winter and to reduce dazzle keep your windscreen clean inside and out.
7. Screen wash – use a 50% mix of decent screen wash to water to reduce the risk of freezing during cold snaps.
8. Locks and door seals – stop doors freezing shut but applying polish or a thin layer of vasaline to the rubber door seals. Squirting WD40 into the locks will help to stop them freezing too.
Next month we will cover what to put in your car by way of an ‘emergency kit’ should you be unfortunate enough to breakdown or get stuck in bad weather.
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