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Things
to check |
To ensure smooth and trouble free winter driving
you should check the following things.
Battery - Get
your battery checked at least once per year. An
average car battery will last for approximately
5 years; most garages will offer you a free
battery check so there's no reason for your
breakdown to be due to battery failure. To
maximise the life of your battery ensure you do
not over use your car's electrics; turn the fan
speed down and remember to turn off the rear
heated window when it's done it's job. If you
care fails to start due to poor battery
condition, ensure that your activities that
could drain the battery power are minimised,
such as lights, wipers, music, and the fan. Try
repeatedly turning the key for five second
periods, with a gap of thirty seconds in
between.
Antifreeze
- An antifreeze to water ratio of 50/50
should be used in the winter, this will protect
your car in temperatures of as low as -34°c,
far colder than you would ever expect to see in
the UK. Check the levels at least once per
month, if your unsure of the correct level,
consult your manual. Antifreeze is very cheap to
buy, costing only a few pounds, but the cost of
repairing the damage caused by not using it
could run into hundreds of pounds. If the
radiator freezes your car will quickly begin to
overheat during the first few miles of the
journey, if this happens, stop the car immediately
and wait for the radiator to thaw out to avoid
any further damage.
Tyres - Ensure
you have a minimum tread depth of 2mm on all of
your tyres, although this is a minimum, we would
highly recommend at least 3mm. Winter is the
time of year when your tread helps your car
stick to the road. Ensure your tyres are
correctly inflated, over/under inflating your
tyres will lead to uneven wear or cracked walls.
Reducing your tyre pressure does not improve
grip, this is a myth, you will instead increase
driving instability and damage your tyres. Check
you're manual if you are not sure of the correct
tyre pressure for your car.
Ensure you have
a working jack, correctly inflated spare wheel,
and wheel brace in your car, and that you are
able to change a tyre if necessary. Although
breakdown recovery services will come and do
this for you, they will charge you for the privilege.
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Preparing
to travel |
Although it might sound obvious, get out of bed
five or ten minutes earlier than normal, this
will give you the extra time needed to de-ice
your car. Ensure you completely clear all of
your windows of ice, failure to do so can lead
to either an accident, or a hefty fine and
points on your license.
Use your cigarette
lighter to warm a frozen lock, but never breathe
on it as the moisture in your breathe will
freeze inside the lock and make the problem
worse.
Ensure you carry
the following essential items as they could be
very useful; ice scraper, deicer, fully charged
mobile phone, torch, tow rope, blanket, warm
clothes and shoes, and an old rug to put under
your wheels if you get stuck.
Plan your routes
in advance to include major roads as these are
more likely have been gritted and be clear.
Accept the inevitable - you might be late. The
best way to remedy this is to leave early where
possible. Put safety first and accept that you
may be late; it's better to arrive late than
never at all, this is unless the the weather is
so bad that you are not able to travel at all.
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Driving
in snow and ice |
Driving on an icy or snow covered road is can be
very dangerous. It catches people out,
especially when the weather turns and you can
find yourself in a dangerous situation which you
can not prevent from becoming an accident.
Remember; stopping distances can be up to 10
times longer in icy conditions.
Slow and gentle manures
are the key to success in these conditions, and
pay attention to what's happening several cars
ahead, not just the one in front. This will
allow you to react to a situation much more
efficiently.
Big boots might
be good for walking in the snow, but they are no
good for driving in the snow. Try to drive
wearing smaller shoes, preferably one which are
dry.
When driving up
a hill; avoid stopping on the hill, as you may
get stuck. By leaving a sufficient gap between
yourself and the car in front, you should be
able to approach and tackle the hill at a
constant speed without the need to stop. If you
are driving down a hill ensure that you slow
down before the hill and maintain a slow speed
by using your lower gears. Try to avoid the use
of the breaks as this will increase the chances
of a skid and be sure to leave sufficient
distance between yourself and the vehicle in
front, just in case you can't stop.
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Floods
and surface water |
Before traveling through a body of water,
firstly ensure it is not too deep for your car.
Drive through it slowly, and at a constant
speed, with relatively high revs, as this will
avoid the water from flooding your exhaust. Be
sure to test your breaks as soon as you can, and
only if it is safe to do so. Do not attempt to
drive through fast moving water as your car
could easily be swept away.
You should never
drive quickly through standing water as it is dangerous.
The force of your car against the still body of
water will lift your car off the road (this is
known as aquaplaning), causing your vehicle to
quickly change speed and/or direction, which can
cause a serious accident. If even an egg cup
amount of water makes it's way through the
engines air intake, this can cause hundreds of
pounds worth of damage. And the bad news is that
this is quite common as the the air intake is
normally low down at the front of the engine,
these problems are more likely to cause problems
in diesel or turbo charged cars.
If you break
down in the rain, do not leave your bonnet up
while your wait for assistance to arrive, as
this will dampen the engine and make it more
difficult to restart.
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