Driving in winter can be stressful and tiring at the best of times – and doubly so if you haven’t had a chance to properly prepare your car for it.
Overlooking a simple check could lead to a breakdown, for example, resulting in you getting stuck out in the cold until help arrives.
However, you can get your car ready for the winter months without having to invest too much time or an excessive amount of money. Read on for our guide on what to look at, and what to consider, in order to grant a better chance of fuss-free winter motoring.
1. Make sure the basics are in order
Start by giving your car a comprehensive health check to make sure that nothing is amiss or about to cause you a major problem.
Inspect the level and condition of all the fluids, make sure there’s enough antifreeze in the coolant, check the tyres and their pressures, and ensure that everything is in fine fettle – including the cooling system, battery, brakes, lights, heater, wiper blades and wiper mechanisms.
2. Load up with some safety gear
It’s worth carrying some equipment and essentials in your car, particularly if you’re going to be travelling long distances or if the conditions are exceptionally poor.
A basic selection of tools, some food, water, a blanket, a good torch, a high-visibility jacket, a warning triangle, a small shovel, a phone charger and a tow strap could all prove handy. Jump leads or a battery booster are worth having, too, especially if you’re not using your car much.
3. Invest in winter or all-season tyres
If you have the budget to do so, it’s well worth buying a set of winter or all-season tyres. They will make driving in inclement conditions far easier, and much safer, which in turn will make your winter trips less stressful and tiring.
Don’t worry too much if you’ve only got a car with two-wheel drive; such a car, on appropriate cold-weather tyres, will be less difficult to drive in poor conditions than a car with four driven wheels on summer tyres.
4. Carry additional screen wash
Winter grime can result in you getting through screen wash at a vast rate of knots and, inevitably, you’ll run out at the worst possible moment.
A five-litre bottle of pre-mixed screen wash doesn’t cost much, so buy a spare one and store it in your car’s boot. At the very least, it’ll save you from having to stop somewhere just to buy more when you run out.
5. Buy some decent wiper blades
A good wiper blade, such as a Bosch AeroTwin, can clean the screen more effectively and consistently than a standard blade. This can boost visibility considerably, especially in rain or snow, making winter driving both easier and safer.
In any case, check your wiper blades and make sure they aren’t worn out or splitting.
6. Keep things as clean as possible
Give your car’s glass a good wipe down from time to time, especially if you’re regularly driving in the dark, to help cut down on visibility-related issues. If you’re battling water marks, or want the clearest view possible, try some Meguiar’s Perfect Clarity glass polishing compound.
Don’t forget to wipe the lights and number plates, too, and give you car's underside a pressure wash occasionally to clean off corrosive road salt and muck.
7. Opt for upgraded headlight bulbs
If you’re struggling to see in the dark while driving, you might be able to inexpensively upgrade your headlights; if your car has conventional halogen bulbs, as a case in point, you could opt for a set of higher-output Osram Night Breaker Laser +150% bulbs or Philips RacingVision GT200 bulbs.
Tired headlight lenses will also reduce light output, but they can be easily restored with one of myriad kits.
8. Use Gummi Pflege on rubber seals
Applying Gummi Pflege to the door, boot and window seals will help stop the rubber sticking to the metal or glass it presses up against. This will make everything easier to open in colder temperatures and reduce the chance of damage.
It’s particularly worth doing this if you have a car with frameless side windows, especially if they automatically lower slightly when you open the door, to avoid sticking and mechanical issues.
9. Repair any scratches or stone chips
If your car has any cosmetic damage that has exposed the metal beneath, it’s worth getting the problem fixed before the worst of the winter weather hits. The damp conditions will exacerbate the corrosion of any damaged panel or part, while the winter road salt will further compound the problem.
The fix doesn’t have to be perfect, though – it just has to be good enough to protect the metal.
10. Investigate anti-corrosion options
Owners who want to protect their car to the utmost can treat the engine bay and other parts with ACF-50, which is a sprayable anti-corrosion fluid that stops existing rust and creates a self-healing protective layer; it also lubricates parts and shields electronic components while preserving unpainted surfaces.
If you have an older car, or one that was never protected that well from new, you may want to consider getting any rust attended to before having the underbody treated with a protective product such as Dinitrol chassis coating.
Keyword: Top tips on how to best prepare your car for winter motoring