It was a near thing at times but it looks like we have made it through another winter in one piece. Hurrah! Now is a good time to make sure that your car has managed to do the same. For humans, winter can seem like an ordeal of heavy coats, extra tissues and excessive binges on Netflix, but imagine what it is like for your trusty vehicle. As every good service technician knows, extreme weather, sub-zero conditions and anti-ice measures such as salt and sand can result in a fair amount of wear and tear. Today we want to give you a breakdown on a few key areas to get sorted before getting into the swing of spring.
Give it the spa treatment
Remember that cold wet evening during the winter when you got home soaked to the bone, drew a bath and threw on some Michael Bublé? Alright, so maybe it wasn’t quite that romantic but, at the very least, you jumped in the shower with the radio on in the background. Now it is time to do the same for your car. Winter road journeys can result in an impressive build-up of dirt, grime and, worst of all, road salt. If left unattended, salt build-up in particular can mar and corrode components and paint finish. We recommend you treat your car to a full car wash service and ensure that the undercarriage is seen to as well. The Michael Bublé is optional.
Get them tyres seen to
Here at BCS we pride ourselves on our in-depth knowledge of car maintenance and the years of experience possessed by each of our technicians. In all that time, we have come to respect a universal truth.
Tires are important. Like, really important. You just cannot drive without tyres.
Anyway, winter can do a real number on your tire pressure so it’s important to get this seen to before the start of spring. Cold winter conditions result in lower air temperatures causing a drop in tyre pressure, so it’s likely you have added more air during the last few months to compensate. However, as temperatures begin to rise so does the air pressure, which can cause your pressure to exceed the optimum. You may feel comfortable measuring and adjusting tyre pressure yourself. If not, stop by BCS and we can have it checked for you.
Stick someone’s head under the bonnet
The winter season can be rough on the inner workings of your engine. Trudging through ice and snow (technically cars don’t trudge but we are trying to be a little poetic today) can add excessive loads to things like timing belts and hoses and the cold snaps can render them brittle. If your head is the kind of head that knows an overworked timing belt when it sees one, then you should stick your own head under the bonnet of your car before driving it into the spring. If you don’t have one of these head, we have many such heads here at BCS that are happy to help.