Temperatures are beginning to drop, and winter has the potential to cause damage to our cars, with this in mind drivers will be concerned about the potential costs they face protecting their cars from wear and damage during winter.
Technical engineer, Simon Wayne at ATS Euromaster has provided six cost-effective tips to protecting cars from damage during winter on a budget.
These handy tips include checking your tyre pressure to battery covers to avoid over-freezing.
As the temperature begins to drop, you may notice some changes in the way your car operates. It’s important to be aware of the impact of cold weather and know how you can protect your car from damage. In doing this, you can ensure your car is the safest it can be when you are travelling in hazardous weather conditions.
Check your brakes
When driving in weather such as rain, snow or ice, the road can become slippery. In wintery weather, vehicle stopping distance increases which means it is even more important to keep your brakes in tip-top condition to help ensure your safety on the road this winter. Be sure you know how to spot failing brakes, or you can get a brake inspection from us at ATS Euromaster.
Keep your battery running regularly
Cold temperatures can affect an engine battery and even cause it to lose power. We suggest running the battery for a couple of minutes to keep the engine ticking over. If you live in a particularly cold area, you can use a battery cover that prevents it from freezing. If you are concerned about your battery’s health before the winter months, you can also get a free vehicle health check with ATS.
Keep windscreens defrosted
In cold temperatures windscreens and wipers can freeze quickly and can affect your visibility if you don’t have a quick solution to defrost your car. One very low-cost hack is to use warm water in a zip lock bag, this will quickly reduce the frost and allow you to drive safely. Make sure you do not use boiling hot water as that can shatter your windscreen or make chips worse.
Check your tyre pressure
Fluctuating temperatures can impact the inflation in your tyres, the pressure decreases about 1 PSI (pounds per square inch) for every 10 degrees the temperature drops. If your tyres have deflated, they can cause sliding than usual, especially in heavy rainfall, ice, and snow. Therefore, it is important to check them regularly during cold months. You can also swap summer tyres with winter or all season tyres as these work best at temperatures below 7 degrees.
Swap your tyres
Swap your summer tyres with winter or all season tyres as these work best at temperatures below 7 degrees. All season tyres are not only great for winter but perform well in most conditions, allowing the best handling on both warm and cold roads. Lots of drivers opt for this as not only can they use them all year-round, but they also help with saving money on changing them twice.
Avoid condensation on your windows
Condensation in your car can happen when the temperature in your car is different to the outside. Warm air inside the car and cold air from the windscreen causes vapour to turn into water, which can seriously affect your visibility when driving. To help reduce this from happening, you can buy condensation drip strips that go in your door for under £5.