A car service in winter may be very different from servicing in the summer. Extremes of weather may be experienced in the UK in the winter and your car should be prepared for these circumstances. Low temperatures such as that experienced in Shropshire, England in 1982 of -26C. Another low was experienced in Norfolk, England in July 1962!
Cold temperatures can be the main cause of strain on your car's mechanics. Your battery should be checked before the beginning of winter as it will experience a greater load, caused by using electricity in the darker evenings and mornings. A set of jump leads kept in the car can be a good idea as your battery can go at any time. The larger amount of moisture in winter, combined with low temperatures may lead to a small amount of continuous current leak from batteries, and it is worth greasing the terminals and keeping them clean to prevent corrosion. 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 may freeze in a very low temperature and this could crack the engine block. Anti-freeze prevents this from happening and is generally mixed in a 50/50 propoertion with de-ionised water. This will protect the engine down to a temperature of -34C, which should prevent any problem during a British winter. Anti-freeze also prevents engine corrosion and offers water pump lubrication, although this effect lessens over time which means that standard green anti-freeze should be change once 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.
Tyres are another important aspect to look out for, as wet conditions require greater depth of tread for optimum 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 a Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, Audi or a truck or van ensure that your vehicle is prepared with sufficient car servicing.
Author Resource:
Written by Andy Jones for MotorAid who offer BMW servicing in Essex . Repairs and servicing are also undertaken for Audi, Mercedes and Volkswagen as well as trucks and vans. To visit the site and discover more, see: http://www.motoraiduk.com
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