If you didn’t know this by now, cold weather may damage your car more than you can imagine. That’s why, with the onset of winter and cold weather, while you’re getting ready to enjoy Christmas holidays in the warmth and coziness of your home, spare a thought for your four wheeled friend too. Make an effort to protect its coat, engine and moving parts, and check if your vehicle is ready for salty roads, snow, sleet and freezing rain. Also, read some trusted car care reviews to ensure you are up to date with what’s best on the market in terms of products or services for your vehicle.
Keeping your car running well in winter will not only save you from huge repair costs, but will also keep you and your family safe in the case of any winter emergency. To help you prevent breakdowns and accidents, here are our top 5 tips to get your car winter-ready before the snow even hits the ground.
1. Change The Summer Tyres With Winter Ones
If you drive a lot in cold climates, switching the tires to winter ones is essential. Winter types of tires are specially designed to enhance braking performance in snowy and icy conditions, and to allow you to have a better grip of the tarmac. Made of a custom rubber compound that stays soft and flexible at low temperatures for better vehicle control, winter tires feature a deeper tread pattern, which clears away slush, and digs into snow.
2. Inspect The Battery
Temperature extremes may shorten the life of your car’s battery. With most batteries lasting between three to five years, if yours is already old it’s better to replace it before wintertime. Also, to make sure that you don’t experience any unexpected battery failures, never start your car with the heater on. This can use up the power coming from the vehicle’s alternator, and prevent the battery from charging.
3. Change The Oil
As cold weather begins to set in, you should consider switching to an oil with a lower viscosity grade. If you won’t do that, temperatures that drop below 0 can cause your motor oil to flow either too slow or not at all, which in turn can really take a toll on your engine at startup. A multi-viscosity oil flows quicker in cold weather and is recommended for year-round protection, while a synthetic multi-viscosity will provide the best protection in both freezing cold and extremely hot temperatures. Make your choice after consulting the car’s manual or discussing with your mechanic.
4. Use A Ceramic Spray To Protect The Paint
If you are looking to protect your car from rusting over the winter, a high quality ceramic coating like the Nexgen ceramic spray or Torque Detail can be highly valuable. By filling in the pores of and making the surface hydrophobic, ceramic coatings ensure that no water, dirt, or salt can destroy the paint. The elements will just sit on top of the ceramic coating, and will either fall right off or with a simple wash down.
5. Check Tire Pressure
In hot months, if the pressure in your tires is too low, it can drastically reduce the life of the tire. But with cold air temps and cold pavement, your tires will automatically have less pressure than in summer. Lower pressures increases fuel consumption and wear on the tyres, lengthens the braking distance and affects steering and handling. In extreme cases you might even end up with an under-inflated tyre which can overheat and delaminate.
