Beating The Winter Blues

Maintaining your car for the punishing UK winter is vital. Grit, salt, and plummeting temperatures play havoc. The first step is checking antifreeze. Carry out a radiator flush before winter to ensure the system is free of cloggy deposits. Then make sure the mixture is around 50% water, 50% antifreeze, and the volume is correct. A squealing noise on start-up is a warning the water pump is frozen.

Secondly, check tyres. Look for depth of tread; you need about an eighth of an inch minimum. Check pressure too. Your pressures might drop in cold snaps; pressure and temperature are linked. Be ready to top pressures up. However, some people choose to drive with a little less pressure, saying there’s more grip. At temperatures below 7°C, winter tyres offer additional, significantly better grip, but they cost around £500.

Ensure windscreen wipers are clean, wipe evenly, and don’t smear. Smearing is worse in winter and refracts light and interior condensation, confusing you regarding distance and speed of other drivers. If in doubt, replace the wipers, and check the windscreen washer fluid. Use less water than in summer, as a 90% water mix won’t shift ice. Screen washes vary, so make sure yours works to at least -10°C.

Clean and check the battery, wipe off corrosion with a wire brush and ensure contacts are clean. Minimising the load, by switching off unnecessary devices like unused heated rear seats will prolong battery life too. During February 2012, the RAC went to more than 50,000 battery-related call-outs.

Batteries run on chemicals, and chemical reactions are slower in winter. Your battery could be up to a third less effective in cold temperatures. Maintaining sufficient charge is crucial. A low charge battery could actually freeze.

It’s crucial to check lights too. Make sure all bulbs are bright; replace any faulty ones. Keep the lenses clean, check the fog lights are working before you set off.

Use lighter oil in winter. Viscosity rises with temperature, so when you start the car on chilly days, the oil inside is thick and glutinous. This can blow seals and break crucial components. To avoid this, check your manufacturer’s guide and fill with a suitable light oil.

If you are looking for a used alternative to see you through the winter months, Hertz Rent2Buy has a good range of cars available, capable of seeing you through the coldest winters. These vary from small runabouts to people carriers and vans.

By: Unknown On 10:30

Continue Reading

The top 9 causes of auto breakdown in the winter

While ice, snow and conditions both soggy and cold are the worst possible circumstances for a breakdown, winter means a higher incidence of car trouble. More drivers find themselves stuck by the side of the road with an ailing auto between the months of October and February than any other time of the year. Winter- related breakdown causes a rise in roadside assistance programmes, like breakdown cover from the AA. Whether you are likely to call the pros for help or fix the underlying problem yourself, its best to be prepared for the very real possibilities of car trouble this winter. We’ll discuss the most common causes for immobile auto-mobiles, as well as some less frequently seen concerns.

Battery issues are the leading cars of winter car trouble, year in and year out. Nearly half of all breakdowns result from battery problems. By having your battery routinely checked (a free service in many parts of the world), you can make this difficulty much less likely to emerge at the worst possible time.

Minor accidents and fender benders are the second most common cause of finding oneself suddenly stranded on the road. This is true in the winter because conditions are more dangerous for driving. If you routinely experience ice and snow, or simply anticipate roads that are often wet, make sure you are prepared to drive in these conditions like these can be surprised by them suddenly, resulting in more accidents because people don’t know how to handle the conditions.

The third most common cause is blown out tyres. Keep your tires filled and replace them as necessary. See that your tyre is fit for the conditions you drive upon. Properly maintained, tyres last longer and perform much better than tyres that are improperly filled or are created for different road surfaces than they are commonly driven on.

The next most common breakdown causes are not as immediately obvious as the previous three. Electrical, mechanical, drive and cooling systems are the site of multitude of potential problems. By personally maintaining your car, or hiring a professional to do it for you, you can eliminate many issues before they turn into crises on the road. Sudden system failures can be very dangerous, especially when moving at a high speed. In this way, maintenance pays in the useable life of your vehicle, in damage and insurance costs, and in your own health and health of others. Don’t let a lurking systemic problem leave you broken down on the side of the road this winter.

The 8^th and 9^th most common causes for roadside breakdown and easily avoided, but common nonetheless. Locking the keys inside the car and running out of gas are a sudden inconvenience to thousands of drivers every year. It has happened to all of us, and the solution is simple. If you have trouble keeping up with these, leave reminders for yourself or develop some other system.

While other breakdown causes come up from time to time, these are the most statistically likely. For those of us without exhaustive mechanical knowledgeable, roadside assistance services bring peace of mind on the road. On top of this, regular maintenance and the exercise of common sense can make a big difference in keeping you on the road without trouble most or all of the time. We wish you safely and reliability on the road this winter.

By: Unknown On 11:30

Continue Reading