Car advice: How cold, humid weather can harm your rail, Wheels24
Car advice: How cold, raw weather can harm your rail
Cape Town – Albeit Spring seems to have sprung in parts of South Africa, the country could practice a few more more raw weeks before Winter ultimately comes to an end.
The last thing any driver wants is for their car to breakdown. The best way to prevent this is to have your vehicle maintenance decently checked and ready.
You will have peace of mind and a safer time on the roads if you go after these helpful tips to prepare yourself and your vehicle for the winter weather conditions.
Cold temperatures during moist and cold months slow down the chemical reactions in your car`s battery, and the connections can become corroded.
This means that your battery may become sluggish and incapable to provide enough charge to begin your car when you turn the ignition.
If the ignition does not have enough power, your car will not begin; a situation that you undoubtedly do not want when you are far from home and in the cold.
To prevent this, your battery should be switched every five to seven years or when it is tested and is no longer holding its charge.
Two Get a set of winter tyres
Those who live in milder climates can get away with using all-season tyres rated for raw traction via the winter months. In harsher climates that suffer freezing temperatures, especially in mountainous regions in Southern Africa, require winter tyres.
Albeit snow tyres are hardly used in SA, there are areas where it’s applicable such as inbetween Durban and Johannesburg. Snow tyres are specially made with deeper grooves that provide significantly more traction and that permit a car to stop as much as 40% swifter than all-season tyres. In addition to using snow tyres, make sure that via the season your tyres are decently inflated; cold air can reduce tyre pressure.
Three Switch to winter wiper blades and cold-weather washer fluid
Wiper blades need to be switched every six months. Old wiper blades can become dried and cracked after a summer in the sun, so you should interchange them for winter wiper blades and washer fluid specially formulated for cold weather.
Make sure that you also have a windshield scraper in the car for when low temperatures leave frost on your windows.
Four Use coolant and antifreeze
In very cold temperatures, decent coolant and antifreeze levels are essential to protect your engine from freezing and to prevent rust and corrosion. Check your engine coolant level and your cooling system for the decent amounts.
Use pre-diluted antifreeze or mix your own solution of half antifreeze and half distilled water. If you have not checked your cooling system in a while, the car will need to be brought to operating temperature before the entire system is flushed and refilled.
Your car`s oil becomes even thicker in temperatures below freezing. This thickness can prevent your engine from commencing, but even worse, it can clog your oil filter and ruin your engine.
Switching to a multi-viscosity oil that starts with a low number and includes a «W» for «winter,» such as 5W-30 or 5W-50, will help your engine begin better and will provide more lubrication and protection from corrosion.
Cold weather brings icy, slimy roadways that make it more difficult to stop your car. If you have not had your brakes checked in the last six months, you need to have them and the pads examined before more strenuous rains are due.
Even with fresh brakes, it will be more difficult to stop during moist and lubricious conditions, so take this chance to improve your chances.
7 Keep your fuel tank as utter as possible
Just like the other fluids that keep your car running, fuel can freeze when exposed to very cold temperatures for long periods of time. The fuller you keep your fuel tank, the less chance that your fuel lines and valves will freeze due to water vapors and condensation.
Of course you cannot keep your fuel tank total at all times, but make sure that you never leave home for a long tour without packing your tank.
8 Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle
Even after taking all of these precautions, there is always a chance that something might go wrong with your car or that you will be stranded in the middle of nowhere in the cold or moist.
An emergency kit in your vehicle can help you sustain until help arrives. A decent kit should include:
• Non-perishable food such as energy bars
• Bag of sand or kitty litter for tyre traction
A little bit of prep can go a long way toward keeping you and your vehicle safe during the winter season.