Protecting Your Car in Winter
Winter weather can be pretty harsh on our cars. All the snow, ice and freezing temperatures that we endure throughout these months can take their toll on our vehicles, and it’s important that we know what to do to stay protected. Bad weather is unavoidable, and with commitments such as work, driving in it is often a necessity that we have to put up with. To make this safer for our cars, there are certain precautions and things we can do in order to minimise risk of damage.
We’ve come up with a few ways that you can protect your car throughout winter.
Keep it clean
One thing that tends to suffer quite a lot and take the brunt of weather damage in winter, is the paintwork. The conditions make it so easy for things like chips and scratches to appear. When we are faced with freezing conditions and therefore snow and ice on the roads, grit can then come as a factor of damage. If the grit hits your vehicle, if can cause chips and scratches in the paint, which is another reason why you need paint protection.
Firstly, you should give your car a good and proper clean. This will get rid of any existing contaminants and makes for a stronger and more resistant surface in preparation for fighting off the harsh winter weather. Furthermore, washing your car more frequently than usually during winter is great because it means that if any salt has stuck to it, it can be cleaned off quickly and minimise risk of damage.
Layers of protection
Polishing your car actually boosts protection, too, as it is essentially like giving your car an extra protective layer. Keeping it waxed and sealed is a great way to ensure that the surface isn’t suffering. It’s mostly good for the snow and salt that our cars try to fight off in winter. The good thing about waxing or polishing your car is that this treatment should last for a few months, meaning that it will probably carry you through the winter season.
Are your tyres safe?
Tyres are a fundamental part of your car, and so ensuring that they are safe is extremely important, but even more so in winter. When conditions are freezing, and there are deadly things like black ice on the roads, or even snow, we must take extra care and precaution. This includes things like increasing your braking distance and braking slowly, avoiding sharp turns, and generally driving in a careful and sensible manor. However, no matter how carefully we drive, these weather conditions are sometimes out of our hands, and so it is important to ensure that your tyres are as safe as they can possibly be.
Have you had the tread checked? Even if the tread on your tyres doesn’t fall below the legal limit, you still may want to consider getting them replaced. Perhaps they are getting close, and it would be beneficial to get them changed sooner rather than later, particularly whilst the weather is bad as it means better grip on the roads.
Tyre pressure is another thing that you should be keeping a regular check on during winter. With the freezing temperatures we are faced with, this actually causes pressure to drop more frequently than usual. If the pressure drop becomes severe and it is left untreated and you don’t fill them up, it can lead to pretty bad damage and result in you needing to have the tyres replaced. Furthermore, if the pressure isn’t right, or one tyre has fallen more than another, it can impact the braking and make it less reliable.
For more information or if you are in need of any advice or repairs, simply get in touch with us via our contact page and we will be more than happy to help.
