Keeping your vehicles safe and weatherproofed all winter

In the increasingly unpredictable UK winter climate, completing your car checks is the best way to ensure you and your chauffeur business stay safe. We’ve provided the following guidance on steps you can take to keep your vehicle (and clients) safe over the colder months.

Pay attention to the battery and electrics

Battery faults are typically the most common cause of breakdowns, especially in winter. Car batteries often have a lifespan of just   five years, so it’s vital that you keep an eye on things under the bonnet.   With more extreme weather occurring during the winter months than previously recorded, there’s extra demand on batteries due to the more frequent use of lights, heating, and windscreen wipers.

To prevent a flat battery in cold weather, it’s advisable to turn off electric loads such as lights and wipers before starting the engine.  We’re hoping you always get lucky and your engine kicks in immediately. But if not, attempt to start your vehicle up in five-second bursts.  If that fails to work, wait 30 seconds before trying again. If the car isn’t used often, give it a regular overnight trickle charge.

It’s equally important to check that the lights and indicators are working too, making sure to replace any fuses or bulbs immediately if they’re not.

Top up your antifreeze

Frozen and cracked engines can be expensive to repair and is really not a good luck if this problem kicks in while you or one of your chauffeurs is driving a client or are on the way to a job.  We recommend using a 50-50 mix of antifreeze and water during the winter period, which could protect the engine to below zero degrees.

Protect your windscreen

Keeping a  de-icer and  scraper in your vehicle(s)  during a  cold snap is a must. , The best method is that before commencing your journey, you spray the de-icer all over the windscreen and then scrape off the remaining ice with an ice scraper – not a credit or loyalty card!.  We’d also advise against the use of warm or boiling water on your windscreen as this can cause the glass to crack.

And one final but fundamental tip on this – when purchasing screenwash, make sure it’s suitable for the temperatures you’ll  expect in your area and final destination.

Look after your windscreen wipers

Windscreen wipers can get dirty and damaged from road salt, rain, snow. And ice – which could make maintaining good visibility difficult. By simply spraying some washer fluid on the wipers and then running your fingers along the length of the blades, you’ll be able to check for any splits and keep them clean. It’s good practice to check the wiper blades regularly, and to change them every six to 12 months.

Choose the right tyres

Winter conditions can be challenging to drive in, so it’s important to make sure your vehicle has the correct tyres. The majority of motorist in the UK drive throughout winter with summer tyres, which in some places are not suitable for the conditions.

There are five different types of tyres – summer, winter, all-season, run-flat and 4x4. For UK drivers, the all-season tyres are typically the best choice as our winters tend to be mild, and winter tyres should only be used in more extreme conditions.

As cold temperatures can have a surprisingly big impact on tyre pressure, it’s important to regularly check your tyre pressure

It’s also good practice to check tyre tread depth, especially as grippy tyres are essential in winter weather, so avoid using tyres with worn down tread. The legal limit for the minimum depth of the tread on your tyres is 1.6mm.

We investigate tyre suitability in more depth here.

Protect the undercarriage

The vehicle undercarriage could be vulnerable to road salt, so help prevent rust and corrosion by applying an undercarriage spray or rust inhibitor, as recommended by the vehicle’s manufacturer.

Frozen water pump

If you hear a continuous squealing noise when starting the car, it could mean the water pump has frozen and the fan belt is slipping in the pulley. If this occurs, the engine needs to be turned off immediately and then given time to thaw out. This could take days unless the vehicle can be moved to a heated space.

Winter car essentials

As temperatures drop at this time of year here’s a list of items for you and your drivers to keep in the car:

• Ice scraper and de-icer
• Torch and spare batteries
• A fully charged mobile phone
• An in-car phone charger or power pack
• Sat-nav or printed route for an unfamiliar journey
• A road atlas should you lose GPS signal
• First-aid kit
• Empty fuel can
• Blanket/fleece, especially if you have a client and there is a problem with your vehicle

We hope our advice will help get you, your business, and passengers safely through the winter months. If there are any other scenarios which you would like advice or clarity on, or want to know more about our chauffeur insurance services, please feel free to call 020 8256 4916 or email [email protected].