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Car Hire News
Winter Car
tips
In anticipation of a cold winter, a simple
guide to preparing cars for winter has
been
produced by the Environmental Transport
Association (ETA).
The cold snap predicted by weather forecasters
for October may not have materialised,
but the prolonged low temperatures of the last
two winters means it is wise to prepare
cars
for winter now.The most popular advice seems to
be ‘do not travel’, but if staying
at home
is not an option, drivers need to use common
sense and prepare for the possibility
that
they may become stranded or their car may
suffer a breakdown.
Preparing
your car for winter
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Antifreeze
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During the winter you use more windscreen
wiper fluid so make sure that you have
anti-freeze or windscreen washer fluid
anti-freeze mix, in your car’s
water bottle. You don’t want to
find yourself stuck behind a lorry trying
to clean your windows only to find your
washer liquid has frozen
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Survival kit
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Stow a winter driving Survival Kit in
your boot. Include a torch, ice scraper,
windscreen de-icer, starter cables, a
folding shovel and some non-perishable
food, a blanket and a tow rope.
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Tyres
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Checking the condition of your tyres is
important throughout the year but when
there’s snow and ice on the road
it’s vital. When checking your
tyres first make sure that the tyre
treads are the correct depth –
ideally more than 3mm for winter.
Secondly make sure that the tyres are
inflated correctly, as the cold weather
can lower tyre pressure. Don’t be
tempted to let some air out to get more
grip as this doesn’t work, and can
seriously reduce stability.
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Electrics
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Car batteries can be past their best
after 5 years, so if your battery is
older than this get it checked by your
local garage.
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Petrol
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Keep your fuel tank topped up in the
winter as you never know when
you’re going to need that extra
fuel. If you are driving and become
snowed in, conserve your fuel. Run your
engine every twenty minutes to warm the
car.
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Winter
driving tips
If you must travel in the icy conditions, the
following tips and equipment can help you
avoid
getting
stuck in the first place.
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Best winter driving tips
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2011
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Fitting snow chains to your car’s
tyres will enable you to continue your
journey should you be caught in snow.
You need to remove them when road
conditions improve, but they are a wise
investment.
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In slippery conditions avoid sudden
acceleration and braking –
driving as smoothly as possible will
make it less likely that you slide and
return better fuel economy, too. If you
start to skid, gently lift your foot
off the accelerator and steer into the
slide.
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Keep an ‘emergency bag’ in
your boot containing two blankets, a
bottle of water and some
non-perishable, high-energy
food.
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Ensure your mobile phone is fully
charged and that the number of your
breakdown recovery service is stored in
the memory.
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It’s important you can see and be
seen so take time to remove any snow
and ice from your vehicle’s
windows, headlights, brake lights and
indicators.
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Your car may be fitted with Electronic
stability control (ESC) – a
gizmo fitted to some modern cars that
in the event of a skid automatically
applies the brakes to individual
wheels. However, you may find that
ESC hinders
your progress up a snow-covered
incline.
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Try to keep a shovel in your car so
that you can dig yourself out of
trouble.
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Breakdown cover costs from just
£24 – ensure you have cover
in place
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Listen to local weather forecasts as
road conditions can change fast. If you
find yourself stranded in your car in
snowy conditions, call for assistance
and unless you are at risk of being
struck by other vehicles, stay where
you are.
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Do not use cruise control in snowy or
icy conditions
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