Preparing Your Car for Winter Driving

Posted on November 3, 2017 by admin

How to prepare your car for winter driving

We’re officially in November, meaning we’re soon to be in the full swing of dark days, rain, snow and generally cold weather. The change of seasons can really have an effect on your driving and we’re here to ensure that you are prepared for winter driving. Below, we’ve come up with our top tips to get your car prepared for winter.

 

Check Liquids

Our first tip for preparing your car for winter driving is to check your liquids. This should be a regular check throughout the year, however, it’s extremely important in the winter to ensure certain liquid levels are where they should be. Antifreeze is very important during winter because, as it says in the name, it prevents your cooling system from freezing in the cold weather. In addition to this, check your screenwash; we recommend buying a proper screen wash as these have ingredients to prevent it from freezing, compared to using plain water.

 

Check Lights

With the days getting a lot darker, it’s essential that you ensure that your lights are working properly. In particular, check that your fog lights are working; fog lights are not frequently used throughout the year and therefore we don’t tend to look if they’re working as often as our other lights. In addition to checking if your lights are working, also make sure that they are clean throughout the winter to get the maximum effect from them.

 

Tyres for Winter Driving

Are you a regular winter driver? If so, it may be very beneficial to invest in some winter tyres. Winter tyres are specifically designed to be safe whilst driving in extremely cold temperatures or dangerous weather; they have a much stronger grip than ordinary tyres. If you don’t frequently drive during the winter and don’t want to make the investment, make sure that you check the tread depth of your tyres; the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm.

 

Emergency Kit

Our final winter driving preparation tip is to have an emergency kit in your car. In this kit, we recommend having a de-icer and scraper, a torch, wellington boots, warm clothes, mobile phone and/or charger, a hazard warning sign and a shovel. This kit will come in handy should you break down during winter.

 

Contact NMT Garages

If you’d like to find out more about tips for winter driving, or you’d like to have your vehicle serviced to ensure that it is safe to drive during the colder season, get in touch with NMT Garages. Fill out our online contact form, or give us a call on 01234 355888.

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