October 15th, 2018 by Chris Chapman

Winter can be a hard time for your car. Freezing temperatures, high winds, snow and ice can damage your car’s paintwork and even it’s inner workings if you’re not careful. Not only that, but the roads themselves will start to work against your car – grit and slush can cause damage and rusting to your car’s paintwork, especially on the sensitive underside of your car. These problems are always easier to deal with if you prepare for them beforehand, so there are a few steps you can take to prepare your car for winter. Read on for ten of the best ways to get your car ready for winter!

Take Your Car for a Winter Check-Up

Lots of garages across the country start offering free (or cheap) check-ups for your car in the run-up to winter. Naturally, these discounted winter checks aren’t quite as thorough as a proper service, but they can still check whether your wiper blades, headlamps, battery and so on are all up to speed.

Take Your Car for a Full Service

If your service is due in winter, it’s smart to move it forward a few months so you can get it in before winter. Cold weather can be hard on your car’s engine, so a full service will get it in peak condition and ready for the winter.

Check Your Car Battery

Another side-effect of cold weather is that it affects the performance of your battery, making it harder for your engine to turn over! You’ll be putting a lot more strain on your battery through the winter as you use your heater and headlights much more often. This can mean a tired battery can struggle to turn your engine over after a cold night. It’s important to test your car battery to see if it needs changing before the temperatures start to drop – you can either use a home battery tester or take it into a garage.

Snow Foam Your Car

Give your car a full snow foam pre-wash before the weather gets too bad. Snow foam will lift dirt and impurities away from your car’s paintwork, leaving it in great shape for the winter and reducing the risk of rust forming. Our Snow Foam also contains wax, meaning it forms a protective base layer on your car that offers more protection, especially if you follow it up with a full wash and wax.

Wash and Wax Your Car

Follow up a snow foam pre-wash with a full car shampoo and wax treatment. We’d recommend using our Wash and Wax Shampoo followed up by a hard wax of Amazing Glaze to give your car a few layers of protective wax. Through the winter, wet weather combined with grit from the roads can scratch off your paintwork’s protective layers, encouraging rust to form and causing scratches. Giving your car a thorough clean will not only get rid of any impurities that could lead to rust, but it’ll also build up those protective wax layers and help your car’s body stay pristine through the winter. It’s a good idea to give your car a full snow foam pre-wash followed by a wash and wax every month through the winter. It might not sound appealing, but this will wash away the bits of salt and grit that can build up on your car, preventing rust forming on your bodywork and your car’s underside. It’ll also keep your windows clear – a combination of grime and darkness can make your side windows pretty hard to see out of, so it’s a good idea to clean them regularly.

Change Your Screen Wash

Chances are your summer screen wash solution won’t be strong enough to cope with the winter. If it’s too diluted, screen wash will simply freeze in your windscreen washers. Most screen wash will contain an anti-freeze element, but if the solution is mixed with too much water this won’t be able to work. Mix a stronger solution of screen wash and make sure your screen wash tank is topped up before the first frost.

Make an Emergency Kit

Keep an emergency kit in your car just in case the worst happens. It might sound a bit excessive but you’ll be thankful if you ever break down in the winter! Pick yourself up a hi-vis vest or jacket, a small shovel, a few strips of old carpet (great for helping when your wheels get stuck), a car phone charger and a tow rope and keep them in your boot. You can also pick up some non-perishable food like cereal bars just in case.

Check for Leaves Under Your Bonnet

While you’re carrying out your usual checks under the hood, make sure there are no autumn leaves stuck under there. Your car’s bonnet is designed with drains to carry rainwater away from the inside of your car. If your bonnet is clogged up with leaves, this rainwater can actually be diverted into your car, causing rust and increasing the build-up of condensation on your windscreen.

Clean Away Iron Contamination

You want your brakes and wheels to be in top condition throughout winter. However, over time, small particles of iron will wear off from your brake pads and cling to your wheels, affecting your car’s appearance and performance. This is called iron contamination, and it can’t be removed using regular car shampoos. Pick up some iron contamination remover such as our Troll’s Breath which will break down iron contamination and leave your wheels clean and operating at peak performance.

Check Your Coolant Levels

Checking your car’s engine coolant is vitally important. Coolant is a water-based anti-freeze solution that stops your engine from overheating, but if there’s too much water in your coolant system it can freeze. Modern cars use a sealed coolant system so it doesn’t need to be topped up that often, but it’s certainly worth checking before winter. Look in your car’s manual to find out how to check your engine coolant levels.