Prepare Your Vehicle: The War Against Winter Is Coming

So it’s a metaphorical war, obviously, but nonetheless more interesting when it’s described this way. To save sapping the fun out of a post which has been done a thousand times over, we’ll get to the point. Your car could die today. Or tomorrow or even next spring. But let’s not help that along by not doing the simple jobs we should be doing to keep it going while the colder nights draw in. It is after all your savor, more so in the winter than any other time of year. So unless you fancy the idea of being like all the other pedestrians this winter, give your car a little attention to help tie it over this winter.

Antifreeze Coolant

Coolant is made up of distilled water and alcohol (please do not drink the coolant). The fluid is used to absorb the heat from the engine to prevent the engine melting (seizing). There are a lot of other reasons why coolant is good for your car, however far too dull to highlight here. So we’ll keep it simple and say, top up the coolant it’s good for the car and for some cream of the crop fluids check out www.peakhd.com.

Warm Up

There’s a discrepancy over whether this step is necessary, so I thought of adding it in any way for interest. Cars pre 1995 used a carburetor, which required a little warming up before the vehicle could function adequately enough for Bob to drive on his merry way. Most post-1995 “modern cars” no longer have a carburetor, so the essence of warming up one’s car was deemed unnecessary. However, a scientist found that oil tends to become a lot thicker in colder weather. Hence there is some truth behind giving your car a little warm up to get the lubes a flowing. Not doing so, could contribute to a shorter life for your engine. Those are the statements, what you do with them is your business. Although, prevention is usually better than cure, so turning on the engine a little before your journey on a blistering cold day, will hopefully do more good than harm for your engine.

Windscreen Washer With Antifreeze

Like the other subheadings, this point is all in the name. Before reaching for your ordinary windscreen washer this autumn, stop yourself! There is nothing more irritating than dispensing water onto the windscreen in freezing cold conditions to find it freezing on the screen in front of your very eyes. If being a risk taker is your thing and leaning out your left window is perfectly adequate for driving, then you can afford to make these mistakes. But if you prefer looking through the front window when driving, help yourself avoid a mental break down and top up with anti-freeze windscreen washer this autumn/winter.

Break Down Kit

The prospect of a breakdown kit doesn’t necessarily have to be filled with boring bits like a metal triangle hazard sign which costs you an extortionate amount on eBay. Save it, I’m sure your children won’t mind putting together something which resembles this sign. A jack, however, you probably can not make, so buy one of these in case a tire blows out in the middle of nowhere. Note to readers, purchasing a jack is only a good investment if you have the knowledge and courage to actually change a tire. Second note, you also need to actually have a spare tire in the boot ready in order for the tire changing process to happen.

Pack some safety reserves like snacks that never go out of date, and stash away a bottle of water also, because who knows where you’ll be when you break down. Perhaps a blanket could come in handy and a spare jacket too.

If you can’t muster yourself to do any of the above, you could just take it for a winter service and let them do the agonizing tasks of topping up your oils and fluids for you to save your car from breaking down this winter.

DIY

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