Winter is fast approaching. There’s no doubt you have noticed the sudden chill in the air, and you’re not alone. Your car or vehicle will surely feel it too, and with shorter days on us, it’s important to stay vigilant and do what you can to keep yourself and others safe, and your car running smoothly. Here are our car care tips during Covid-19 quarantine, that are in no particular order but will help keep you and your car safe.
Check your car battery
When it’s freezing cold and your hands feel numb, you pump up the heater and air-con to keep warm. Your battery will be responsible for the lights, wipers, washers and this heating, as well as turning on the engine.
All these things combined may be enough reason for the battery to suddenly give up, especially on a chilly morning. Before you get to that point, check your battery for any build-up on its posts terminals, checking for good contact.
Always top it up with distilled water when necessary. Tap water may speed up any corrosion processes that may happen.
For any maintenance work on your car, remember to wear the proper safety equipment to lower the risk of injury or harm. Here are some examples:
- Safety glasses – Prevent any splashback going into your eyes
- Gloves (Neoprene is best) – Gives you time to react incase chemicals contact the skin
- Enclosed clothing – Such as long sleeve tops and pants with enclosed shoes to reduce risk to yourself in the event of a chemical splash
If you find yourself without the time to check for these, you can also rely on your trusty mechanic for a car battery service.
Check your tyres
It is absolutely crucial that you check your tyres before and during winter. If you haven’t checked them recently, either have your local mechanic inspect the tyre alignment, or inspect these parts of the tyre yourself:
- Tyre pressure – Low tyre pressure means poor handling and poor fuel efficiency.
- Tyre physical condition and tread depth – The treading on your tyres help give it grip on the road. If your tyres are noticeably smooth and/or show any signs of cracking and tearing, then you should get them checked out asap. It also becomes illegal to drive the car once the tread is at a 1.6mm depth.
Check your car lights
In a cold and foggy winter in Australia, you want to make sure that all your lights are fully functioning. While not driving, switch on the lights and walk around the entire car, checking all of the lights:
- Headlights (on low and high beam)
- Parking lights
- Tail lights
- Turn indicators
- Car plate number light (if you have it)
- Emergency lights
- Brake lights
Come lights may only need a simple globe change to fix. Take the time to research a bit. A DIY approach can help save a lot of money. But to be safe, have a certified mechanic check out all of your car lights, and have a full checkup done. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
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