Tips for looking after your car in winter: winterproofing your vehicle
Take a look at our tips and tricks for winter car maintenance
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Winter weather can be a real pain and mean problems for your car. Colder temperatures bring new challenges that can put you at risk on the roads if not considered and can cause wear and tear to your vehicle.
It’s important to keep on top of car maintenance at the best of times, but even more so when we’re tackling wind, snow, ice and rain.
Take a look at our top tips for winterproofing your car to keep you safe on the roads.
Check your car battery
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There’s no time like the present to get your car ready for winter, whether it’s a used Audi or anything else.
Cold weather can reduce your car’s battery strength by as much as 35% when temperatures hit zero degrees or lower. When it’s freezing out, it’s harder for the battery to create power and keep you moving.
If you don’t know whether your battery needs replacing, Sam Sheehan, our motoring editor, has some advice: “Signs that a battery needs replacing include when your car struggles to start (or doesn’t start at all) and underpowered electrics (such as dim headlights or weak heaters).
“If your engine smells like rotten eggs, this could be caused by a potentially dangerous problem with the battery, so make sure to get it checked out as soon as possible.”
Clean out those leaves
You may think that fallen leaves won’t cause much harm under your car’s bonnet, but you couldn’t be more wrong.
Leaves stuck under the bonnet will break down over time and can block up your car’s drains. If this happens, you could end up with water draining into your car’s interior.
And, with all those carpeted surfaces, water in your car can be a nightmare – especially during winter when it takes longer to dry. It can lead to mould, bad smells, foggy windows, and more issues you don’t need.
So, it really is worth taking the time to clean out the leaves.
They can also damage your car’s paintwork as they break down, so you’re best off getting rid of them all.
Keep your windows and wiper blades clean
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With the rain, snow and low sun that winter often brings, it can be hard to have great visibility on the roads.
The Highway Code highlights the importance of having good visibility, stating you must be able to see properly out of your windows at all times. A dirty windscreen could land you with a fine of up to £1,000.
Before you head off, use the air-con to demist your windscreen and reduce condensation. You can use a de-icer on your windows if they’re icy and use a window scraper to speed up the process.
Never pour boiling or hot water onto your windows, as the change in temperature can cause the glass to crack. A heated windscreen is great in this case, as you can expect the ice to start melting in one to two minutes.
When you’re cleaning the windows, make sure you inspect your wiper blades and ensure they can clear your view alongside the washer fluid.
Monitor your tyre pressure
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Tyres are important for driving safety – they’re the only thing connecting your car to the road, so you need to make sure they’re in good nick.
The law says you need to have at least 1.6mm of tread across the middle three quarters of each tyre. You can quickly check this by inserting a 20p coin into the tyre’s tread grooves – you’ll be within the limit if you can’t see the coin’s outer band.
It doesn’t hurt to err on the side of caution with tyres though, especially in the winter. Aim for at least 3mm of tread depth if you can and your tyres will perform better in icy conditions and be less likely to aquaplane.
Don’t forget to check your tyre pressures either. Cold temperatures can cause the air inside your tyres to contract, so they might be a bit lower this time of year.
Make sure to check your tyre pressure when they’re cold and top them up to the recommended level.
A couple of last bonus tips are to look at your tyres and check for any cracks or bulges, as these can make the tyres weaker. Also, if your tyres are more than 10 years old, the rubber gets less sticky, so it could be time to swap them out.
Keep your fuel tank more than half full
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This isn’t a ploy to have you spending more on fuel – keeping your tank more than half full is a scientifically-backed way to keep your car healthy.
When water vapour comes into contact with hot surfaces, condensation takes place. If your fuel tank isn’t full in the winter, this reaction can take place in your fuel tank and dilute your fuel. The build-up of water vapour and moisture can put some of your vehicle’s components under strain or even cause them to freeze.
It’s rare that you’ll experience freezing in your car, but keeping your tank nicely stocked is a good way to keep your car health in check.
De-ice your car properly
There aren’t many clearer signs that winter is coming than the first annual windscreen de-icing.
It’s a pain, but it’s so important to de-ice and de-mist your windows for visibility and staying safe behind the wheel.
Not that we need any more motivation than that, but you could be landed with that fine if you drive with a dirty (or obstructed) windscreen.
Here’s how to de-ice your windscreen as quickly as possible:
Make sure your wipers are switched off - wiper blades sometimes freeze to your windscreen, so make sure they’re turned off before you turn on your car to avoid damage to the rubber, wiper motors, or windscreen.
Start your engine - turn on your car and make sure your rear window heater and heated wing mirrors are turned on too. If you’re lucky enough to have a heated windscreen, it’s time to switch that on.
Turn on the air-con - we know it sounds strange, but turning on the air-con will remove moisture from the air and stop the windows misting up. You can still have the temperature set to warm, of course.
Clear all the snow - use a soft brush to clear the snow from your car – not just the windscreen, but the lights, the number plates, the grilles, the roof, etc.
Spray some de-icer - if you have it to hand, spray your windows and lights with de-icer to speed up the process. Never pour warm or boiling water on your icy windows as it can damage the glass and cause cracks.
Scrape the ice - you can also use a proper ice scraper to remove some of the tougher ice on your windscreen (don’t use them on your paintwork). They’re designed not to scratch glass, so don’t use any random plastic you have lying around as it might do some damage.
Bonus tips to make de-icing your car easier:
Park your car in a garage if you have one
Cover your windscreen with a towel or special cover when it’s parked
Try and park your car pointing east so the morning sun starts melting the ice as soon as it rises
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Tips for safe winter driving
After putting in the prep, you’re nearly ready to hit the roads this winter.
But before you do, it’s worth brushing up on some helpful tips for saying safe on roads when the conditions get tough.
Speed and acceleration
Remember that speed limits are limits, not targets, and they’re set for driving in normal conditions. If the weather is bad and the roads are slippery, don’t be afraid to reduce your speed to a reasonable level.
Standing water, ice and snow all increase braking distances, so going a bit slower will help make sure you come to a stop safely when you need to.
When you’re travelling more slowly, you’ll also have more time to react to obstacles ahead, so it’s worth sticking to what you’re comfortable with.
Don’t forget that most people will be doing the same thing as you – sticking to a speed that’s safe for them.
Also, when setting off, try and do so smoothly and slowly. Too much acceleration in icy/snowy conditions can cause wheelspin, so take your time to set off safely.
Cornering
It’s a similar story for cornering during a cold snap – take things nice and slow and be smooth with your movements.
Keep both hands on the steering wheel to stay in control and turn in gently at a safe speed. Go into a corner too aggressively, and your car could lose traction.
Braking
Try and apply the brakes smoothly and progressively when driving, especially when there’s water, ice or snow on the roads.
A sudden increase in pressure can unsettle the tyres and cause you to lose control.
That’s what anti-lock braking systems (ABS) are there for – they help to control the pressure of the brakes to allow wheels to slow down gradually, rather than stop instantly and skid.
ABS is a helpful safety feature in modern cars, but learning to use your car’s brakes in a controlled way to avoid the system kicking in will keep you even safer.
A note about aquaplaning
Aquaplaning is when a layer of water gets between your tyres and the road, causing you to lose grip.
It can also lead to you losing control of your car because the brakes and steering no longer work as they should.
Common causes of aquaplaning are accelerating during heavy rain and driving in the rain with low tyre tread (tyre tread helps to channel water out from under the tyres) or over/underinflated tyres (reducing the contact patch with the road).
Sam says: “Aquaplaning can be scary because you feel like a passenger instead of a driver.
“If you start to aquaplane, ease off the accelerator, keep the steering wheel straight and avoid trying to brake. Your tyres will grip again after you’ve cleared the water, and this is when you can apply the brakes and correct the steering.”
With the long dark nights already drawing in due to the clocks going back, now’s the time to start winterproofing your car.
Unlike many drivers, you’ll also be ready to avoid getting caught out when severe weather rolls in this year by following the winter driving advice above.