Car care and safe driving this winter, a few tips!

[AbyssUnderground]

Car care and safe driving this winter.

Hello all. I thought I'd do a good deed and write a small "info" post about how to keep your car in top shape this winter and safe so you won't have any problems with it breaking down or having an accident, as it could end up being costly to get a tow home!

1. Screen Wash

One of the most important things on your car in winter is having enough screen wash in the tank to clean your windscreen with. Winter is notorious for getting a dirty windscreen off spray from the roads, so, always keep your screen wash topped up and keep plenty of proper screen wash (blue stuff) in the tank.

A 50/50 mix of screen wash to water is a good place to start. You can buy it from all garages but your best bet is a local super market where it will be much cheaper. Some garages (like the one I work at) supply screen wash in their fillers for around £1-£2 where you can get around 1 gallon. It is also highly advisable to keep 2 litres of water in your car in a bottle in case you do run out of screen wash. It is an offense not to have screen wash in your bottle and could be potentially problematic if it runs out away from a filling station.

2. Anti-Freeze

This one can't render you broken down before you even set off. If you have no anti-freeze in your coolant system, you could have frozen pipes, and as a result, split pipes. If this happens, you'll be going no-where, or if you do, you'll break down very quickly with an over heated engine (yes, overheated even in winter!).

Keep at least a full bottle of anti-freeze in your system at all times to avoid it freezing. Again you can buy it from garages or super markets. If your radiator is too full to add the anti-freeze, consult your car's manual for the radiator drain plug to drain the excess away. After filling, run the engine for a few minutes to circulate the anti-freeze. If your engine is already frozen, do not attempt to start it. Wait until it has thawed, and get it inspected for damage first.

3. Battery

Your battery will probably be the first thing to let you down this winter. It's no surprise when people get up one morning and have a flat battery. It's all down to the cold weather and short journeys to work. In winter, batteries have a lot lower capacity and ability to crank the engine. Because it's so cold and often dull outside, you tend to use your lights, wipers and heater more often than in summer. This all puts a strain on your cars battery and charging system, and short journeys make it hard on the battery too.

How can you overcome this? It's very simple. Make sure you run the car up to operating temperature and make sure you have run it for at least 20-30 minutes per day. If you can avoid it, don't run the heater on full, use just your side lights and not driving lights, and don't make short journeys. If you must make short journeys because your workplace is very close to home, every 2-3 days, make a motorway drive for around 20-30 minutes. This should help keep the battery charged and avoid leaving you stranded. For diesel cars this is especially important, because the pre-heating system (glow plugs) use a lot of power each time you start the engine, and this must be replenished. If you find your car frequently not starting, or the cranking speed is unusually slow, you should consider replacing the battery. Also, always keep some jump leads on hand should you ever need them. The person who decides help you, may not have any. You should also keep the water on the battery topped up (the caps can be removed with a coin). Keep the water around 1 inch above the plates of the battery. Use only de-ionised water from a garage or supermarket, never tap water! De-ionised water is around £1 for a litre, and is plenty for several 10's of batteries.

4. De-icing

Some quick do's and don't when de-icing your car.

DO use an ice scraper, as it’s the quickest method of removing thin ice.
DO use the heater in your car. Start the car immediately and put the demister on and the fan on full. It will help melt the ice from the other side. Even cold air works.

DON'T use hot water from any source! It will shock the glass and crack it.
DON'T use excessive amounts of de-icer, and avoid it totally if you can. Use a scraper. Only use de-icer for very thick ice, but use a scraper to aid the removal.
DON'T spray your windscreen if it looks dirty if you just set off. The water will instantly freeze, even if you have proper screen wash. This could be dangerous if it freezes doing 30mph down a main road.

Safe driving

Ice is a killer if you're not aware of its presence or how to control your car on it. The key is slow and smooth movements, and light acceleration and braking. If you find yourself skidding/sliding on some ice, move off the brakes or accelerator and drop down a gear or two, and let the engine braking do its work. Use smooth movements of the steering to avoid anything you may hit. Use light braking if you feel you have enough grip to do so.

If you find yourself stuck on ice, and can't seem to pull away, there are several things you can try. First, try pulling away very slowly in first gear. If the wheels just spin, try second gear. It has less torque and won't spin so easily. If you're in a diesel car, chances are you can pull away from a stop with just the clutch, so try doing that and no throttle. Remember, slowly. If by this point you still can't pull away, try turning the steering in either direction to try and find some grip. Be careful as either wheel may find grip and jolt you forward, so be prepared for it.

I hope this has helped a few people out there who may not know exactly how to take care of their car this winter

The following information is provided as-is and it is your decision to follow any of it. I cannot be held responsible for any damage or accidents following the use of this information. I have provided it as my own knowledge of how to car for my own car and get out of bad driving situations.

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by AbyssUnderground

[/INDENT]4. De-icing[INDENT] Some quick do's and don't when de-icing your car.

DO use an ice scraper, as it’s the quickest method of removing thin ice.
DO use the heater in your car. Start the car immediately and put the demister on and the fan on full. It will help melt the ice from the other side. Even cold air works.

DON'T use hot water from any source! It will shock the glass and crack it.
DON'T use excessive amounts of de-icer, and avoid it totally if you can. Use a scraper. Only use de-icer for very thick ice, but use a scraper to aid the removal.
DON'T spray your windscreen if it looks dirty if you just set off. The water will instantly freeze, even if you have proper screen wash. This could be dangerous if it freezes doing 30mph down a main road.

A very good post, but just a couple of things:

1) It's not recommended to start the car and immediately get your demister and fans going on full, as this has the potential to drain your battery (as you said earlier on). If you're de-icing, it's fine to get the engine running for a couple of minutes, and then put things on, so the battery is charging. Having said that, don't leave your keys in the ignition and go back into the house, just in case

2) You're right that you shouldn't use hot, but you can use lukewarm water for de-icing. I do this every time the car has frozen, and haven't cracked a windscreen (yet )/

Just my two cents

[STONEISLAND]

Originally Posted by Nugget

You're right that you shouldn't use hot, but you can use lukewarm water for de-icing. I do this every time the car has frozen, and haven't cracked a windscreen (yet )/

Absolutely agree with that. I chuckle when I see my neighbour’s struggerling with the scraper when I just pour loot warm water of the screen with ease.

[Taf]

After living at the summit of the Belgian Ardennes for a few years with VERY cold winters, I can chip in here:

Don't pour water over the glass as it has to drain somewhere, and that includes door and window seals, where it might freeze and prevent you opening the doors or windows. It can also freeze the door locks! Another problem is windscreen wiper blades sticking to the ice on the screen. Scraping is best... even an old credit or store card will do the trick in an emergency. Or put a screen shield on the night before...

Crack the driver's window open to allow moist air out for the first mile or two... or you will mist up.

If you run the engine to warm the car before driving off do not rev it hard as this can cancel the choke and cause the engine to stall in some cars. Just leave it at tickover.

Check that you are using an all-season/winter screenwash... many on the shelves these days do not contain an alcohol to prevent freezing.

Don't forget to clean off your external mirrors!!

Never drive with snow on the car... it will eventually come off and be a hazard to other road users.

Don't drag snow into the car on your footwear. It will melt and make things slippery... especially on the footpedals.

A couple of old door mats placed under the wheels will aid in driving off in snow... but make sure they are the driven wheels!!

[AbyssUnderground]

Originally Posted by Nugget

A very good post, but just a couple of things:

1) It's not recommended to start the car and immediately get your demister and fans going on full, as this has the potential to drain your battery (as you said earlier on). If you're de-icing, it's fine to get the engine running for a couple of minutes, and then put things on, so the battery is charging. Having said that, don't leave your keys in the ignition and go back into the house, just in case

Using just the heater fan won't drain your battery on its own. But if you put lights, rear demister, etc on as well, then you could. I should have made that a little more clear

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by AbyssUnderground

Using just the heater fan won't drain your battery on its own. But if you put lights, rear demister, etc on as well, then you could. I should have made that a little more clear

Not a problem - just thought I'd add my two cents

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Nugget

Not a problem - just thought I'd add my two cents

I hate Americanism.

back on topic. I bought some de-icer from the poundshop, one trigger bottle and one aerosol.
the trigger one was as much use as blue coloured water, and the aerosol just dribbled like I do.

I want my £2 back.

[AbyssUnderground]

Originally Posted by Gary L

I hate Americanism.

back on topic. I bought some de-icer from the poundshop, one trigger bottle and one aerosol.
the trigger one was as much use as blue coloured water, and the aerosol just dribbled like I do.

I want my £2 back.

De-icer just freezes again anyway if you don't take it off in time. Get a scraper for 99p and use that on its own.

Originally Posted by AbyssUnderground

De-icer just freezes again anyway if you don't take it off in time. Get a scraper for 99p and use that on its own.

Chis Evans has been hosting a lively debate regarding this on his 'drivetime' show on Radio 2.

The spokesperson for AutoGlass Chris interviewed tonight implied that the scraper was the best option - that person said do not use water, whether hot or cold & implied that the 'chemical reaction' of standard de-icer spray was short lived, at best.

One point I'd endorse is to ensure your screen wash has enough alcohol in it to resist freezing, the roads are so dirty, atm, what with all the salting/gritting, but not much rain, that the screen washers are essential - I have a 5 litre container of screen wash in the boot I wouldn't be without