Driving on ICE

Despite an unseasonable start to the year in most parts of the UK, temperatures are predicted to drop in many places.

Icy roads are always a danger during the winter months, especially as it is sometimes a hidden danger in fog or darkness.

This week’s tips give advice on how to deal with driving on ice, from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards Richard Gladman.

• Only drive if it is really necessary. In very bad weather it is better to stay in or take public transport rather than risk an accident. Always check the weather and road conditions on your route before setting off
• Make sure you know how the demister settings on your car work and how to adjust them properly
• Never pour hot water on the windscreen as the sudden temperature change may cause cracks. Prevention is better than cure, so if possible cover the glass overnight with cardboard or an old sheet to prevent freezing, or invest in a windscreen cover. Adding boiling water or heating up a key can melt plastic components in modern car locks so be gentle when it comes to warming them up or use a squirt of de-icer
• If you haven’t done so already, get an antifreeze check at your local garage or fast-fit centre. Keep your washer bottle topped up with an even stronger concentration of de-icer
• It might sound like old advice, but you need to triple or quadruple the distance from other cars in front of you in icy conditions. If a car has to stop suddenly or  an accident occurs, you will need that extra time to react and stop

Richard said: “As ever preparation and planning are the key to worry-free driving when the mercury plummets. Plan your route carefully as major routes are likely to be treated with salt and less likely to be icy although this might still form in dips and on bridges. Leave more time for your journey. Respect the conditions and don’t expect your journey to take the same amount of time as normal. Factor in delays and give yourself plenty of time to clear the ice properly from all the windows of your car. A crystal clear view will give you the best chance of surviving the arctic blast.”

The Good Garage Scheme would like to to thank IAM RoadSmart for this week's reminder on safe driving in the winter.

For a Winter Check on your vehicle, visit your nearest Good Garage Scheme member garage here.

Car Frozen? Don't Panic

Winter car care advice this week comes from expert, Mike Fields Fields Car Centre in Woking, Surrey.

 

Door locks frozen?

Spraying WD40 in them regularly will help prevent this.  Spray the door latch too.  Or use a lock de-icer for key entry or specialist tool.
Now with keyless cars, spray de-icer around the edge of the door.  Don't force the handles, work on them slowly using the de-icer.  Hot water is not really a good idea as it will cool very quickly and refreeze all around.

 

Frozen windows?

You may want to open your windows, but be careful, the window runner mechanism and glass can all be frozen meaning that it won't move, or like the wipers, the motor works but the mechanism stays put.  Result = broken window regulator, glass becomes unattached or worse still the glass shatters.  If you don't need to open them leave well alone!

 

Wipers frozen to the screen? 

Ok, you're in the car and turn engine on, if you have left the wipers 'on'   the night before it's trouble.

Every year we get people into the garage whose wipers no longer wipe!   Usually what has happened is they have gone to start the car with the wipers left on from the journey the night before.  The rubber wiper blades have frozen to the screen and when the motor is turned on the wipers stay put!  The linkage will work loose and even when the wiper has defrosted it won't work anyway.
A simple solution...we can just re-tighten the mechanism, but it can be worse with bent linkage and wipers. So use the de-icer to free rubber from screen and gently pull away.

 

Hope these few tips help, but really the best advice is, the scouts' motto - 'Be prepared'!

With our thanks to Mike Field of Fields Car Centre in Woking, Surrey for the advice.
Fields Car Centre have been a Good Garage Scheme member since 2010 and have a five star customer rating.