Most people consider a car one of their most precious investments. They buy a car not just because it helps them commute but also because it becomes a valuable addition to their list of fixed assets. A well-maintained car has a good resale value.
Therefore, having a car guarantees that you can make ends meet in the worst of circumstances, as you can always sell your car at the desired price. Even while buying your next car, the proceeds earned from your existing car contribute to a major portion of the cost. In case you are wondering, “Where are the tips for maintaining a car in winter?” We just want to say that we are getting there.
But before that, it’s important for us to highlight why car maintenance in winter and other seasons of the year is a topic worth discussing. In order to fetch the maximum possible amount while reselling your car, you should take care of your car day in and day out.
You should keep your car in the best possible condition. You must take superior care of your vehicle to ensure that all its parts and components stay in working condition for a long period of time. You must also take it to a reliable service centre for regular maintenance.
Apart from regular maintenance of your 4WD vehicles, you also need to follow other measures, such as taking special care according to the seasons or weather conditions. You should make suitable changes in the maintenance routine and steps of your car depending on the current season. We have shared some tips on how to maintain car in winter in Australia in this blog post.
Read These Tips to Maintain Car in Winter in Australia Every Year
The winter season brings with a ton of issues in terms of health, skin, comfort, transportation and more. People experience various problems related to health and skin, for example, common cold, sore throat, cough, fever, body ache, cracked lips, dry skin, etc.
The cold weather makes people feel uncomfortable. The winter months can be extremely cold in Australia. The temperature can get as low as 5 degrees Celsius. You can also experience rainfall and snowfall in some parts of Australia during the winter season.
As a result, it can become difficult for people to drive a vehicle in the winter months. Similarly, it’s also difficult to keep the car running smoothly. The rainwater and snow on the road can affect the condition of your car. Thus, you must learn how to maintain car in winter. Read the tips mentioned below to understand how to care for car in winter.
Check Windscreen Washer, Wipers, and Demister
Occasional rainfall is a common phenomenon during winters in Australia. Therefore, you must stay prepared to clear away water from the windscreen of your car. You should check whether your windscreen washers are working properly or not.
Make sure that the windscreen washers are aimed correctly at the wiped area of the windscreen. Look for the blockages in the nozzles. You should check whether the windscreen washer fluid reservoir tank on a frequent basis. Keep the reservoir tank always full.
Just like windscreen washers, the windscreen wipers also need your attention. You need to check whether your wipers are functioning properly or not. Check whether your windscreen wipers have the desired settings or not.
One of the important steps of maintaining car in cold weather is to replace the wiper blades whenever they start malfunctioning. Check the demister of your car regularly. Demister helps remove the condensation from your windscreen.
Inspect the Tyre Pressure
As we mentioned earlier in this blog post, you can experience rainfall and snowfall in some parts of Australia in the winter months. Hence, roads can become difficult to drive on. In such circumstances, you should take care of the tyre pressure, which is nothing but the pressure of the air in the tyres of a vehicle. Tyres are that part of your car that comes into direct contact with the road.
Therefore, you should make it a routine to inspect the tyre pressure if you want to maintain car in winter. The drop in temperature leads to a decrease in tyre pressure. You should add air to the tyres of your car when their pressure is low. Driving a vehicle with tyres that have extremely low pressure can result in a tyre blowout.
Change the Motor Oil
The use of motor oil or engine oil is to lubricate the parts of the engine of a vehicle. It reduces friction between the mechanical parts and thus, avoids excessive wear and tear on the engine. The motor oil becomes thicker during winters.
As a result, it flows slowly and thereby gives you trouble when you try to start your vehicle. Many experts in the automotive sector advise car owners to replace regular oil in the engine with synthetic oil. Unlike regular or conventional oil, which is extracted from the ground, synthetic oil is manufactured from chemical compounds.
Thus, one of the tips to maintain car in winter climate is to change the motor oil. Synthetic oil does not take much time to warm up. You can start your car easily and quickly, even during extremely cold weather. If you are not comfortable taking this decision, you can consult a reliable mechanic.
Check Headlights, Tail Lights, and Indicators
In order to drive during the cold winter months safely, you should be prepared to deal with the rainfall, snowfall, fog, and mist. These weather elements can cause visibility issues while you are driving on the road. You need to ensure that the headlights of your car are working properly. Check the condition of the headlights and clean them before taking your vehicle on the road.
Similarly, also check the condition of the tail lights of your vehicle. Tail lights can help you estimate the distance between your vehicle and other vehicles. Having properly functioning taillights is also essential to help the drivers of other vehicles stay safe. Along with headlights and tail lights, you should also regularly check the condition of left and right indicators to maintain car in winter climate.
Never Pour Hot Water on the Windscreen
A lot of car owners pour boiling hot water on the windscreen of their cars to remove the ice and snow. They believe that it will melt away the snow and ice swiftly. While you might think that it works every time, so it cannot be wrong, pouring hot water on the windscreen can lead to more harm than good.
When you pour hot water on a windscreen covered with ice, the temperature of the windscreen changes rapidly. This rapid or sudden change in the temperature can cause the windscreen of your vehicle to crack or shatter.
Moreover, boiling hot water can also damage the paintwork of your car. The layer of protective wax on your vehicle starts melting by coming into contact with hot water. Due to this melting procedure, you can get white watermark stains on your car.
With the help of the above-mentioned tips to maintain car in winter in Australia, you will be able to drive safely and smoothly during the chilly winter months. Along with the points discussed in this blog post, you should also keep in mind some other points, such as cleaning the fuel injector of your car and replacing the battery (if required). You should check various parts and components of your car at regular intervals during the winter season.
Conclusion
You should possess the knowledge of how to maintain car in winter to make sure that every ride of yours is great. Take your car to a trusted car maintenance workshop to get your car checked thoroughly. You should always keep an emergency kit with you when you are driving a car.
