Seasonal safety check
The things that let a car down in winter are all cheap to check in autumn.
Cold weather does not break cars so much as expose the weaknesses already there. A battery that was marginal in September will not start in December. Coolant that has lost its strength freezes and cracks things. Tread that was adequate in the dry is not in standing water.
This check looks at exactly those points. Thirty minutes in October saves a recovery truck in January, and the parts involved are among the cheapest on the car.
How you know you need it
- The engine turns over slowly on a cold morning
- The battery is more than four years old
- You have not checked the antifreeze strength in years
- Tread is somewhere between 3mm and the legal limit
- Winter is coming and you do a lot of early starts
What we actually do
- 1 Battery tested under load, which is the only test that means anything
- 2 Antifreeze strength measured with a refractometer, not guessed from the colour
- 3 All lights checked — the ones you cannot see from the driving seat
- 4 Wiper blades and washer fluid concentration
- 5 Tread depth and pressures on all four, plus the spare
- 6 Brakes given a look over while the wheels are accessible
Questions about this job
When is the best time?
October or early November, before the first hard frost rather than after it.
Do I need winter tyres in Westhampton?
For most people here, no. All-season tyres are the sensible middle ground in the South East — better than summer tyres below seven degrees without the cost of a second set.
What if the battery is failing?
We will tell you the reading and what it means. A battery that tests weak in autumn will not improve on its own.
Seasonal safety check — in Westhampton
118 Mill Lane, Westhampton, Westshire, WX1 4AB. Open seven days, Sunday included.