Give your automobile an Arctic BLAST test – Automotive Weblog

Kwik Match, the UK’s main automotive servicing and restore firm, is urging motorists to be prepared for the chilly spell with a easy five-point guidelines.

The checks spell out the phrase BLAST and are simple to recollect when icy climate is predicted.

Kwik Match has highlighted the important thing elements which might be susceptible to chilly climate and are important for making certain your automobile might be relied on in winter, particularly it has been used much less steadily than beforehand.

• Battery.  Batteries must work tougher to begin a automobile in chilly temperatures with issues typically solely changing into obvious when it’s too late.  If a battery has struggled to begin a automobile in hotter climate, a chilly snap could place too massive a requirement on it
• Lights.  The significance of working lights is apparent in the course of the shorter hours of daylight, not solely to see however to be seen
• Antifreeze/coolant. Anti-freeze will defend the engine at low temperatures, however solely on the appropriate degree and focus so the situation of the liquid within the reservoir and system must be checked
• Screen. Visibility might be poor in winter climate, so drivers ought to ensure their display screen situation doesn’t comprise it additional.  Display wash degree and wiper blade situation must be checked, in addition to the glass for any chips or cracks.  If not repaired, these can grow to be extra susceptible in chilly climate.  By no means use boiling water to clear icy glass because the very sudden temperature change brings a danger of it cracking
• Tyres. As the one level of contact with the highway, having tyres in good situation is much more vital when surfaces are slippery.  Drivers ought to test tread depth, pressures and likewise sidewall situation.  They need to additionally be certain that their spare is able to use if wanted, or if their automobile has an emergency sealant package they know the right way to use it

“The primary chilly spell of a 12 months all the time reveals issues with vehicles that are a shock to their homeowners,” stated Roger Griggs of Kwik Match.

“The most typical of those is battery failure which may occur with little or no warning. A engine which was beginning throughout hotter autumn months could merely be an excessive amount of for an outdated or worn battery when the temperature drops.

“Within the case of tyres, drivers could not have observed extreme or uneven put on till they want most grip in slippery circumstances – and at that time it might be too late.

“As is all the time the case in motoring checks and upkeep, prevention is significantly better than treatment, so we urge drivers to hold out winter BLAST checks prematurely of any journeys they should make.”