Winter Check Up
Winte
r is upon us, and winter driving comes with it. While safety is an important consideration all year long, there are some car maintenance jobs and safety checks that are a good idea to check before we end up knee deep in the season. To be sure you don't end up a road popsicle, or even worse end up with your Christmas holiday budget on ice thanks to unexpected repairs, have a look under the bonnet to be sure things are ship shape...or better still pop into Brakes Ford to give your car a Free Winter Check!
In addition to the added dangers of winter driving, the change in weather can bring peril to your car's systems. Freezing temps, salted roads and wintery precipitation can gang up on your car if you don't give it a maintenance session.
These winter maintenance tips from Brakes Ford will help keep you out of trouble:
Check Your Anti Freeze
Antifreeze is an essential part of your car's winter protection. Your car contains a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze. Make sure your system level is correct and that the mixture is close to 50/50. Pop into Brakes Ford and we will check this mixture during the winter months for free and with no appointment required!
Inspect Your Tyres
The last line of defence between you and a collision are your tyres. Winter is not the time to get cheap about your tyres, so take the time to check the tread depth. The legal limit for tyre tread is 1.6mm however it's our experience, especially in winter weather, that anything less than 2.5mm be replaced soon. Use a tyre tread gauge to find out whether your treads are ready for winter action or pop into Brakes Ford for a free check. Don't forget to check your tyre pressures. Believe it or not, they lose a little pressure when it gets cold, so make sure they are pumped up.
Replace Your Wipers
Wipers? What do your windscreen wipers have to do with winter weather? Two things. First, anything falling from the sky is going to end up on your windscreen, and unless you have a team of beavers riding on the bonnet of your car the task of clearing it falls on your wipers. Second, after a hard frost or snowfall you'll find yourself driving through that soupy muck that's left on the road once the highways department does their thing. This muck includes a lot of sand and salt, both of which end up on your windscreen. It takes wipers that are in top shape to keep your windscreen clean and safe.
Check Your Windscreen Washer Fluid
You'll be using lots of washer fluid as you try to keep your windscreen sparkly. A mile stuck behind an 18-wheeler lorry will soon have your windscreen looking like a rally car if you're low on washer fluid. *Tip: Make sure you fill your washer fluid reservoir with extra washer fluid and only a little water to stop it freezing!
Annual Maintenance Procedures
On top of the checks you need to perform to ensure safe winter driving, now's a good time to do some annual maintenance. This isn't necessarily specific to winter driving, but it's a good point on the calendar to get around to having your car serviced.