Prepare your car for winter

Breaking down or getting stuck is bad enough at any time of the year - but it's even worse in cold, wet conditions, or in the snow and ice. Winter-proofing your car can help prevent the likelihood of it breaking down and leaving you stranded: there are a few easy checks you can do to prepare yourself and your car for the worst of the weather.

Vital checks

Before the chill sets in, carry out a few basic but vital checks to help reduce the chance of a breakdown or flat tyre. Make sure all your essential fluids and lubricants - oil, water and anti-freeze, washer fluid, transmission and brake fluids, power steering fluids - are all topped up. Make sure you use recommended products, and that your tyres are inflated to the correct pressures and have no cuts, splits, lumps or other damage. At all times of the year, tyre tread depth is a crucial factor in stopping distances, but having plenty of grip is even more important in wet and slippery conditions.

Check that your headlights, taillights and fog lights are functioning correctly, and keep your lights clean for maximum visibility. Stock up on a windscreen ice-scraper and a can of de-icer so you can create a clear view out of all of your windows, and make sure that your wiper blades are in good condition and sweeping across the windscreen properly.

At your service

Your car should be serviced according to its manufacturer's schedule anyway, but besides its routine maintenance, you should ask your mechanic to check that your battery is in good condition, and that your brakes have plenty of stopping power. If your car feels a little prone to drifting to one side, or is not braking in a straight line, have its wheel alignment and 'tracking' checked: not only will this improve your steering accuracy, it will help prevent premature tyre wear.

Additional extras

You may also wish to invest in a set of winter tyres, especially if you live in a rural or hilly area. These are a routine purchase for drivers in many northern European countries, and can give extra grip in the snow and ice. Many garages and tyre suppliers now offer drivers a storage service for the tyres not used when they swap between winter and summer rubber in the springtime and autumn. It is not recommended to use winter tyres all year round as their tread pattern and composition is not thought to give as good a performance in warmer temperatures.

However, a set of good-quality winter tyres may cost £500 or so, and while they can last for several winters, you may want to consider some cheaper solutions. Many drivers carry a set of snow chains to slip over their wheels as needed, though "snow socks" are usually less fiddly to fit. These are hard-wearing fabric tyre covers which, though not strong enough to be used for long distances and at high speeds, can give you enough grip to get going and out of a side road or driveway and onto a gritted surface, for example. They generally cost around £50.

Preparing and equipping your car for winter may be expensive, especially if you decide to invest in good quality winter tyres. One convenient way to perhaps help you spread the cost could be by credit card, especially if you've got a card that offers an interest free period on purchases or rewards your spend.

Issued by Sainsbury's Finance

Sainsbury's Finance is a trading name of Sainsbury's Bank plc. All information correct at time of publication, but may be subject to change. Any views or opinions expressed in this article are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of any part of the Sainsbury's Group of companies.

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