Winter Motoring is Coming - Plan ahead

Winter is coming and all the signs point to a long cold and wet one, with a little advance planning the many common reasons to call upon breakdown companies can be avoided.

We know, summer was a shambles ( weather men called it mild?) well if last winter was anything to go by then where in for a long cold one again, the roads havn’t even been repaired after the last onslaught of rain, ice and snow, I dread to think what state they are going to be in next spring, anyone fancy a 4×4 yet? maybe battery powered jeeps are the way forward.

But until then make sure you are as prepared for the winter weather as best you can, a few simple low cost maintence tasks could make a difference,

Tyres,

Check the tread, 1.6mm is the legal limit but if yours are at that level now it would be a good idea to change them for some nice new one’s. For more detailed advice on car tyres and online tyre prices have a read through the buyers guides to budget car tyres. Check the pressures, get your owners manual out or read the information on the tyre sidewall to find out, a handy tip if the roads are covered with snow or are slippy is to reduce the pressure slightly, this will increase the contact area of the tyre on the road, bear in mind this will increase wear and fuel consumption.

Battery

If your car battery is getting tired now then there is a good chance that the first touch of frost one morning will prevent your car from starting, car batteries don’t perform well in cold conditions.

Screenwash

Top it up with a good additive that way it won’t freeze quite so easy. ( also put a can of de-icer in the car at the same time,) 100% screenwash additive is only good down to around -6 c

Oil change

If your oil hasn’t been changed for a while, consider a quick service, nice fresh oil will make starting easier in cold conditions, especially so with diesel engines.

Wiper blades

For around £10 they can make driving in bad weather so much easier, no more smeared windscreens when it’s dark and raining. Wiper blades are easy to change on most cars but places like halfords will fit them while you wait for a couple of pounds.

Warm clothes.

Okay so this is probably obvous in winter but if you do happen to breakdown or get stuck in the snow you may find waiting for the recovery companies takes a while and with the engine switched of a cars internal temperature will fall quickly, why not put that picnic blanket back in the boot? or becoming popular now are ceramic heaters, these cost £10 - £25 and are powered from a cig lighter socket, instant heat ( or cooling) great for demisting or di-icing windows in a morning.

Phone charger

Again another cheap and handy item that could be a life saver, get a in car phone charger if you havn’t got one already, imagine breaking down in a strange area or rural location with a flat phone battery, also many of the motoring organisations can use the signal to pinpoint your location.

A final thought is to keep the fuel tank full, you could end up on a long detor or stuck in slow traffic for hours because of road closurers, some people also carry a small can in their boot if they are planning a longer journey.

Categories: Breakdown Advice
Tags: Avoiding Car Breakdowns, Breakdown Advice, Car Recovery, Driving Tips, Winter Driving, Winter Motoring.