Winter can be a challenging time for vehicle owners. The colder the weather and the heavier the rain, can cause problems for tyres, engines, and other functionalities. You can ride your car smoothly and safely in the winter months. Here are some tips to maintain your car during winter.
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Is your battery fully juiced?
Winter puts a lot of stress on your battery if you park your car outdoors. Avoid the sinking feeling of hearing nothing when you hit the ignition with a proactive check of your battery and charging system. Repair shops don’t usually charge very much to load test your battery, some car parts stores will do it for free. If you find out your battery’s going down, you can replace it at your convenience, instead of being at the point of whatever shop your dead car’s been towed to. -
Check your parts
To improve aerodynamics and save fuel, today’s cars are equipped with increasingly elaborate underbody panels and low-hanging front spoilers. These can be vulnerable to damage, driving over heavy floods in the winter could turn a small problem into a more expensive one by ripping off the entire panel and maybe it’s mounting hardware. So, before the ground’s too cold to lie on, look under the car, starting from front, to see if there’s anything loose flapping about. Maybe you can put it back to place. A cable tie will take care of it or even duct tape. -
Stop or at least slow corrosion
Vehicles resistance to corrosion has come a long way in the last few years. Give the car a good look-over (preferably after a wash) for any scratches or dings where the damage goes through the paint that is, you can see bare metal underneath. These need some paint on them soon as possible. Obviously a professional repair is most effective, but if that’s not in budget, you can effect a quick fix yourself: The most basic approach is simple to clean the area with some kind of solvent (acetone and rubbing alcohol) and apply some clear coat nail polish will do. You can even buy touch up paint of your car’s colour and it will do the job. As for stopping rust to the underbody, the best thing you can do is to keep it clean with regularly washing. You can also use Fluid Film and spray a few cans on the metal bits of your underbody. -
Wax the lights
It’s a little detail, but in winters gloom, every head light cleaned is going to improve your safety. Here’s an easy two-minute idea: Make sure the headlights are clean of dirt, then rub car wax (any type will do) on the lens, let it dry and buff it off, repeat. Also do the taillights. The slippery surface you leave behind will be less likely to build up an ice coat when you are driving in the morning and evening, it will make it easier to remove it if it does.
Also keep in mind to check your tyre pressure weekly, keep your fuel tank half full and protect your wind shield wipers.
Vehicle maintenance is important. I hope these tips were useful and helps to make your driving safe and maintain the condition of your vehicle. With winter being the season where proper vehicle maintenance is perhaps at its most crucial period.
Beat the winter blues, start your journey with Mahindra…
Visit us at 📌167 Josiah Gumede Road, Pinetown
Or call us on ☎0877277018
Or visit our website on 🌐www.mahindrapinetown.co.za for amazing winter specials.
