Caring For Your Car In A South African Winter

Just like you stock up on vitamins or put on a bit more moisturiser during winter, your car needs extra attention too. While South Africa doesn't suffer a dramatic drop in temperature during winter, it is still advisable to be aware that the change of season does affect your car.

So, what can you do to get your car ready for the upcoming chill? Here are some tips from Fabian Angiers, general manager of Dial Direct Insurance.

• The lower the temperature, the harder it is for the fuel in your engine to ignite when starting. If you haven't had a service in a while, now's the time to get one. With a fresh set of spark plugs and new distributor cap, (if required), the chances of your car starting without flooding improves a great deal.

• Before you leave the house on a cold winter morning, make sure to clear any frost from the windscreen with warm, not boiling, water. Boiling water may crack your windscreen.

• There is the chance, particularly early in the morning or late at night, that there will be frost on the road. So make sure that your tyres have adequate tread and that you leave a safe following distance when driving.

• Tyre pressure constantly goes down at a rate of about 1psi per month, simply from the oxygen molecules leaking through the rubber. During winter, tyres lose 1psi for every 10? drop in temperature. So check your tyres more frequently.

• Make sure your cars window defroster works. It is needed for safe driving. Also, make sure the heater is working, but take care, as a too hot interior can lead to drowsiness for the driver and occupants.

• During winter, always keep a bottle of anti-freeze handy. Make sure the cooling system is full and there is enough anti-freeze to protect against freezing.

• It is suggested that in winter, you keep your petrol tank more than half full. The reason for keeping a full tank of petrol is that warm daytime temperatures fill the empty space in the petrol tank with moisture and condense during the cold night. If your petrol tank is not full, this water will sink to the bottom and cause rust.

• Check your engine oil, especially before a long journey. Cars use more oil in the winter, so it is advisable to check the oil level more often than you do in the summer.

• Lastly, keep in mind that some car batteries will lose power as the temperature drops. So, even though you will you need more power to start your car in winter, you get less power from the same battery.

Congratulations! Your car will now be able to survive winter.

Read more about Dial Direct Insurance