Tips & Tricks to get you and your car through winter
How to deal with icy windscreens, frozen locks and much more
Following last month’s blog, we seem to have been lucky enough to escape October’s forecasted snow, and blessed instead with a very mild beginning to winter.
We had a number of customers book Winter Health Checks with us, and we will continue with this promotion throughout the coming months. Those who absolutely have to be mobile whatever the weather also chose to have winter tyres fitted.
This month, we thought we’ve give you a few tips and tricks to help get you through the winter months.
Chandler’s Winter Tips & Tricks
Tip No. 1 – Warming Up Your Car
Before embarking on your journey, it’s a good general rule to start by always warming up your car. It’s not only more safe and confortable to get into a warm car, but revving a cold engine causes additional and unnecessary wear. When doing this, please ensure you are within sight of your vehicle. A running engine without a driver can invite thieves – be smart!
Tip No. 2 – How to Deal With Frozen Locks
Let’s start with prevention. The best way to avoid a frozen lock is by covering it with a thin magnet strip after you have locked it. Chances are, if you are reading this, your lock is already frozen though!
Cans of lock de-icer are sold in most petrol stations. Keep a can of this at home. If you are without this, try warming the key with a match or lighter, then thawing your way into the frozen lock. Another known trick is a heat liniment (like Deep Heat, or some other treatment to calm sore muscles). Squirt it into the keyhole, and it may warm it enough to free the lock.
Tip No. 3 – Clearing Frosted or Frozen Windscreens
Icy windscreens are not only a pain but a hazard. Again, the best approach is prevention. Put a large piece of cardboard over the windscreen, securing it under the wipers. You can also buy windscreen covers from many petrol stations and shops such as Halfords. When you’re about to get into your car, you can simply remove it, and your screen will be ice free, without the need for scraping.
DO NOT pour boiling water onto your windscreen to de-ice it. This can result in cracking. The hot water creates a thermal shock. Any imperfections in the glass can be filled with ice and then expand, resulting in the windscreen cracking. Using warm water is fine, but be careful as the water eventually hits the ground and turns to ice making it very slippery to walk on.
There are plenty of good de-icer fluids available on the market which are effective. Some of these products can even stop the ice forming in the first place.
If none of the above are an option, to help loosen and melt away solid or hard-frozen ice from your windscreen, try fine grain salt. Pour the salt over the ice and rub it in. Give it a few minutes to work, and then scrape.
Your best bet however is following step one. Avoid using your windscreen wipers if possible, as this can wear the rubber unnecessarily.
Tip No. 4 – Washing
Road salt can have a nasty impact on your paintwork. Frequent trips to the car wash, or of course washing yourself, are the best preventative measures – this will help prevent any salt build up.Carpets and floor mats can also get very salty. Try washing them with a solution of one part vinegar and two parts water – the vinegar will break down the salty residue.
Tip No. 5 – Driveway Clearing – Salt vs Sand
If your driveway is icy, try putting salt down. The salt will melt the ice by lowering the freezing point of the water. This is particularly useful for those with steep driveways.
For snow, sand is the best bet. This will compact into the snow to give you a good friction surface.
DO NOT put salt on snow – it will turn into slush which as you try to drive on will compact into ice.
DO NOT put sand on ice – it will end up like an ice rink, with the sand sitting on the top.
Tip No. 6 – Have Your Vehicle Checked
Having your vehicle checked ahead of winter can prevent many winter driving problems. You can do it yourself, or bring it into us here at Chandlers. Check fluids, wires, plugs, washer fluid and most importantly antifreeze. Check tyre traction and inflation.
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