Winter preparation

Winter can be a very tough time for your car. Rain, hail, snow, ice - even if your car is lucky enough to dwell in a cosy garage at night, it will still come into contact with some extremes of temperature and weather over the winter months. Certain aspects of lacklustre car maintenance that may not have been noticeable during the summer months may become serious issues when the weather turns nasty.

Basic safety equipment

Even if there is no sign of snow on the weather reports just yet, it does no harm to have some basic kit in your car all the time during the winter months. This list of essential items will not take up too much room, and could well get you out of trouble if you get caught out.

• Spare tyre (check its not flat), jack and wheel wrench

First Aid Kit and blankets

Non perishable high energy foods like nuts and dried fruit etc. Bottled drinking water

De-icer, ice scraper and a good torch with spare batteries

A tow rope, jump leads and a small shovel

Cooling system

Check that your cooling system is topped up with anti-freeze. If water freezes in your cooling system it will expand like a hydraulic ram, and can split pipes and damage your radiator.

Check your lights

Check that all your lights are working properly. They will see a lot more use over the winter, even in the daylight hours.

Brakes and tyres

Make sure your brakes and tyres are in good condition. You will need all the grip you can get! If you are not sure ask your local garage to check them for you.

Ignition system

If have an older car without electronic ignition, you will need to check that your leads are in good condition. If in doubt, spray leads with a water repelling spray, from your local auto parts store, or replace them completely.

If your car battery is old and does not hold it's charge, this is the time of year when it will let you down. If start to have trouble starting your car when it gets cold, take it to a garage asap and get it checked over before it gives up completely!

Screen wash and wiper blades

Make sure you have plenty of winter screen wash in your car, there will be a lot of debris thrown up from the road when its wet, so will need it. Old wiper blades do not do their job very effectively, so if they are more than a couple of years old, it might be an idea to replace them.

If you have been involved in a road accident that wasn't your fault, just give us a call on 0845 6768898 or start your claim enquiry using our online claim form.