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Car Servicing in Winter

By Andy Jones

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Published: 02Jan2010
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Car servicing in the winter can be very different from summer servicing. Weather extremes are often experienced in the United Kingdom in the winter and that means that your car should be prepared accordingly as prevention is far better than cure. Very low temperatures can sometimes be seen with a record low of -26C recorded in Shropshire, England in 1982. This may surprise you but the record low temperature for July is -6.5C recorded in Norfolk, England in 1962 so don't think that winter weather is confined to the winter months in our strange climate!

Cold temperatures can be the main cause of strain on your car's mechanics. Your car battery should be checked before winter sets in as it will come under additional load because of the greater drain on its power due to darker mornings and evenings. A set of jump leads kept in the car can be a good idea as your battery can go at any time. The increased moisture in winter in combination with low temperatures can sometimes cause small but continuous current leakage from a battery so keeping the terminals clean and lightly greased to stop corrosion is important. A good service will also check the strength of a battery which needs to be in top condition. A modern calcium silver battery will provide far better cold starting performance than the old lead acid batteries.

Anti-freeze is one of the most important elements of preparing a car for winter. The water in an engine's coolant system can freeze in very low temperatures and crack the engine block. Anti-freeze will prevent this from happening and is usually mixed in a proportion of 50/50 with de-ionised water, this concentration will protect the engine down to -34C which should be adequate for a British winter. Anti-freeze also inhibits engine corrosion and provides water pump lubrication but this effect degrades over time meaning that a standard green anti-freeze should be changed every two years. A newer type of anti-freeze is an orange or red liquid that contains organic acids and should never be mixed with its green counterpart. This type of anti-freeze will last up to five years.

Your tyres are another important area to pay attention to as wet conditions will require good tread depth for optimal braking. The minimum legal limit for tread depth in the UK is 1.6mm in the middle three quarters of the tire. Correct tyre pressure is another factor that greatly affects tyre performance and should be checked every couple of weeks. One other thing to remember is to check your spare tyre as this can often be overlooked.

And lastly a good winter service won't overlook your wipers, washers and lights all crucial for your safety in inclement weather and also your MOT.

So whether you have an Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, truck, van or even an HGV make sure your vehicle is prepared for the winter with proper car servicing.

Andy writes for MotorAid, who offer Volkswagen servicing in Essex. Other manufacturers include Audi, Mercedes and BMW. To find out more, visit the website at http://www.motoraiduk.com

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