Ensuring that your car is in good condition is important all year round. Though when it comes to winter, driving can become more dangerous and that’s when preparing your car is essential.
Here are some tips and tricks on how to get your car ready for the upcoming winter months.
Check your Battery
The average life of a car battery is about 3 to 4 years. Although batteries come under much more strain in winter. You will be using your car heater, wiper blades and headlights more than normal which along with the cold can cause the battery to overcompensate, severely impacting its lifespan. Be sure to check your battery coming into the colder months as you don’t want to be broken down out in the bad weather. You can have your mechanic run a test as a part of your regular servicing and replace your battery if it is needed.
Check your Tyres
While having the correct tyre pressure is important at all times of the year, it is recommended to check them every two to three weeks during the winter season. Low or incorrect tyre pressure can affect your cars braking distance and cause poor handling. You want to have the best possible braking distance to avoid any unwanted accidents.
Tyres with low tread are extremely dangerous on wet roads. The tread on a tyre is designed to move the water away from the tyre-road contact points. Tyres that are heavily worn out have difficulty doing this and can result in an accident. If your tyre tread is getting close to the legal limit (1.5mm) around the start of winter, it is recommended to replace them.
Check Your Windscreen Wipers
You may go for months without using your windscreen wipers. Over this time, they might break, bend or crack due to the sun. If that’s the case, it is best to replace them before winter to ensure effective removal of moisture and rain so you have good visibility while driving. Replacing your wiper blades is cheap and easy, you can do it yourself at home or your mechanic can do it while you get your car serviced.
Check Your Headlights
The days are shorter and it’s darker for longer, meaning we rely on our headlights a lot more during winter than the rest of the year. Fog and heavy rain can reduce your visibility and it is very important to make sure that your car is visible to other drivers. Switch on all the lights; park lights, tail lights, indicators, low and high beam, reverse and brakes to ensure they are working correctly. If you don’t have anyone to help check your reverse and brake lights, you can use a window reflection to check yourself. Repairing any blown globes is simple and may only take a few minutes.
Another helpful hint is to make sure your vehicle is regularly serviced. Not only is this important to ensure your car is fit to drive, it will lower the risk of any issues occurring during winter.
So, is your car ready for winter?
