How to prepare your car for winter

Winter is on its way! We know how important your vehicle is for getting around, especially for getting to care calls, which is why we want to ensure the worst you have to cope with is frosty windshields on a morning! With dropping temperatures and poor weather, you don’t want to find yourself broken down at the side of the road this winter!

To protect both yourself and other drivers on the road, it is important to prepare your car for the winter. However, a whole year-round maintenance is crucial for your car performance on the road.

But how to prepare your car for the winter? Here are some essential tips to get your vehicle ready for the frosty winter, which could be also applied for the rest of the year.

• Check your fuel

Probably the most obvious thing to do but sometimes we ignore the fuel level or presume it would be enough to go back and forth to places for the day. However, with bad weather, road works and car incidents traffic jams can sneak up us in the winter – you don’t want to run out of fuel in a dark, cold traffic jam!

• Check your battery

The car battery has a couple of years life. Unfortunately, cold weather temperatures might cause some difficulties when starting your car especially when your car battery is on its way out. If the problem with starting your car occurs more often and the red battery light on your dashboard flickers or stays longer then it is time to visit a garage and probably change your battery as you don’t want to be left on the road.

• Check your brake pads and discs

Ensuring your brakes and their related components are in good working condition is essential no matter the season. As different weather conditions affect the car brakes differently, you need to regularly check if there is wear and tear which could affect the stopping distance.

For example, if the road is coated with ice or rain your brakes have to work harder in order to stop your car. Be mindful that the stopping distance is doubled for wet roads and multiplied by 10 when the roads are icy or snowy. If there is a problem with your brakes, brake pads or any other components that might affect your stopping time.

• Top up your engine coolant with antifreeze

The coolant (mixture of water and antifreeze) is extremely important to your car as it keeps the engine from freezing in cold weather especially when temperatures are below 0 degrees Celsius. Therefore, make sure to check your coolant levels as you don’t want to have a frozen engine or for your car to overheat. Remember only check your coolant levels when the engine is cold otherwise you risk scalding yourself. If you need to top it up, check in your handbook for the correct coolant and mix.

• Check any indicator lights on dashboard

Make sure to check your dashboard lights every time when you start your car as they will indicate if there are any problems, such as low-level fuel, engine issues, etc. Avoiding these warning lights could result in worsening the problem and you being stuck on the road.

• Check vehicle lights are working

With the days becoming shorter it is essential to see and be seen on the road. Ensuring your lights are all working is vitally important when driving as you can see where you are going and also help other drivers on the road to see you, preventing traffic accidents. That includes no cracked lenses or blown bulbs, working full-beam headlights, fog lights and indicators.

Moreover, check if all lights, indicators and rear reflectors are clean as during the winter they become extremely dirty and might result in decreased visibility. Regular maintenance of your lights is crucial for driving safely and it is your legal responsibility.

• Check tyres and air pressure

Check your tyres for general wear and tear racks, cracks, splits or bulges, and most importantly, tread depth. Tyre tread depth and tyre air pressure are vital for your car stability on the road as tyres give you traction and a grip on icy and wet surfaces. The legal tyre depth in UK and Europe is 1.6mm which could be easily checked using either tyre gauge, the marker bars on your tyres or a £0.20 coin. If you can’t see the outer band of the 20p, you do not need to worry about your tyres.

Moreover, ensure that you have the correct pressure in your tyres – you can see the correct inflation levels on your front inside door (usually the passenger door) with the recommended air pressure for your front and rear tyres. Another place where you can find your tyres’ inflation levels is in your car handbook/manual.

• Check wiper blades and refill screen wash

During the autumn and winter months you’ll get more dirt and muck on the windscreen, as well salt spraying up in colder weather. Therefore, regular screen wash check-ups are recommended to ensure that you have enough screen wash liquid and top it up when needed. When the weather really gets colder, it’s a good idea to use a quality screen wash additive or pre-mix which is effective down to at least -15 degrees Celsius, so that you prevent the windscreen wash liquid freezing in the tank which can lead your tank to burst. We recommend you give your windscreen a thorough clean from inside too so that you have a clean screen inside and out.

To ensure all the dirt and muck from the windscreen is cleaned properly check your wiper blades for any splits, chips, nicks and tears. Wash them thoroughly with a wet wipe or cloth to ensure there is no dirt left on them. Auto Windscreens advices to not pull wiper blades off frozen glass or turn them on if the screen is iced over, as the rubber may tear.

• Maintain your engine oil

Checking your engine oil level regularly is important to prevent any engine malfunction resulting in engine failure that could leave you on the road. The recommended oil level is to be in between the minimum and maximum mark on your car’s dipstick and top up if necessary.

Normally a weekly check-up of the engine oil level is recommended as different factors affect the oil consumption of your engine such as the fuel quality, extreme temperatures or the often break push while driving which may require top up of the oil.

• Keep a winter car kit in your vehicle

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, breakdowns can happen! It’s a good idea to prepare a basic winter car kit to keep in your boot to make sure you are ready for all situations on the road. This could include:

• • An ice-scraper and de-icer to help you clean your windscreen
  • Jump leads in case your battery doesn’t want to start
  • A high vis vest and reflective warning triangles to warn others of your presence in case you do get stuck on the road
  • A portable phone charger/battery charger to ensure you can call road services or a friend when needed
  • A torch in case you need to pull over at night
  • A blanket or winter coat
  • Hat, scarf, gloves and maybe some
  • Boots– you should always drive in sensible footwear it’s a good idea to also keep boots in your car during winter weather, in case you end up breaking down on slippy surfaces
  • Food and drink – the only thing worse than being broken down in bad weather is being hangry! Keep some bottle of water and energy bars with long best before dates in your boot, just in case!

After going through our checklist of things to prepare your car for winter, we hope you are ready to brace the cold months. However, we advise you to stay vigilant on the road and drive safely.

Looking to get your car serviced, or need to top up some of the items mentioned above? Why not check for any offers on the Blue Light Card app? For examples, Halfords offers 10% off servicing, and a free MOT with a full or major service. Our carers are eligible for a Blue Light Card after probation – find more information and more of our benefits for carers here!