The Lifestyle Jan - Feb 2023

Winter Car
CHECKLIST
With the cold weather having really settled in, we
take a look at some tips to make sure your car is
ready for winter...
CHECK YOUR TIRES
Checking your legal tyre tread depth is
one of the most important checks you
can make on your car. Having worn tyres
means the only contact patch between
you and the road is past its best. You
may say this is an accident waiting to
happen.
The legal tyre tread depth for cars in
the UK and Europe is 1.6mm across
the central three-quarters of the tyre,
according to law. There is a simple test
you can carry out at home to find out if
your tires are past their best - the 20p
test. Just take a 20p coin and insert it
into the tread grooves on the tyre.
If you can’t see the outer band on the
coin, your tyres are above the legal limit.
WINDSCREEN WASHER FLUID
Make sure you keep your windscreen
washer fluid topped up. You may find
yourself not using your wipers too
much in the warmer season, but winter
conditions bring salt, water and general
grime to the roads, and as such, our
windscreens. Make sure you purchase
a good anti-freeze screen wash that will
be effective down to at least -15 degrees
Celsius to cope with potentially frosty
conditions.
BATTERY
Battery problems are the reason for more
RAC call-outs in winter than anything
else. In the winter months your car
battery is under far more stress, so it’s
important to make sure it’s up to the
job. Is your battery more than five years
old? If so consider getting it replaced.
Older, weaker batteries will typically
have reduced performance and cold
temperatures can reduce this even
further, to the point where the battery will
discharge or go flat very quickly Consider
purchasing a battery charger, but vitally,
make sure you keep a set of jump leads
in your boot.
CHECK FUEL AND OIL LEVELS
This one may sounds obvious, but the
last thing anyone wants is to be stuck at
the side of the road in the freezing cold
because they didn’t plan ahead.
Cars use more fuel in heavy traffic and
start/stop conditions which can be
regular occurrences, especially in wintry
weather. With fuel prices being so high, it
is easy to put off buying fuel until the next
journey, but don’t get caught short!
It’s also a great idea to get the oil
checked. Too much or too little oil in a
car can damage a car’s engine. Check
your handbook if you are unfamiliar with
how to do this and to ensure you use the
correct oil.
PREPARE A WINTER
BREAKDOWN KIT
The RAC is recommending all drivers plan
ahead and pack a car winter kit in case of
emergencies. This is a few essential items
to pack in your car boot to make sure
you’re ready in case of getting stuck in
cold and wintry weather:
• Ice scraper and de-icer
• A torch
• In-car phone charger
• Warm clothes and blankets
• High-visibility clothing
• First aid kit
• Jump start cables
• Empty fuel can
• Food and drink
• Shovel
• Two reflective warning signs
• A road atlas
• Sunglasses
• Locking wheel nut key
INVEST IN A
DASH CAM
Weather causes
over 800,000
accidents each
year in the UK. With
the best will in the
world, there isn’t much
you can do to ensure total safety on the
roads but you can prepare your car by
buying a dash cam, so that if the worst
should happen, you have video evidence.
Never miss a moment with the Nextbase
G22GW. The 622GW 4k dash cam uses
a resolution of 3840 x 2160 @30fps,
boasting image quality comparable to
high-end TVs and cameras. It provides
improved contrast and colour range
compared to HD footage, meaning
recording quality is as good as it gets
with the 622GW.
In the event of an incident where the
driver is unresponsive, Nextbase
Emergency SOS can alert the emergency
services as to your location and
approved personal details. This ensures
emergency services can respond quickly
without relying on other road users –
essential support when driving on rural or
quiet roads. nextbase.co.uk
For more in-depth winter driving
advice, visit www.rac.co.uk
44 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk