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Usually the rule is from O to O, from October to Easter. Anyone who followed this rule of thumb this year drove in winter with temperatures around the 30 ° C with winter tires. That should not be done, because the rubber compound is not intended for these temperatures. Should the weather report cooler temperatures around the 7-10 ° C, then switch from summer to winter tires.
In this post we give tips and tricks on how to properly care for the car in the fall and prepare for the coming winter season, if you run our check list, then in winter not so much should go wrong.
Winter tires are mandatory
From when exactly winter tires should be used depends on the situational weather conditions. If you can count on frost, frost, snow or colder temperatures, then you should switch to winter tires. When changing the wheel, always pay attention to any running direction of the wheels, to the air pressure and to the correct tightening torque. Do the wheel bolts fit from the summer tires to the winter rims? In case of doubt or questions, ask the expert, because nobody wants to lose a bike.
The view under the hood
Often it is Bohemian villages, the view under the hood, but we are happy to help. Important in winter are the battery, the antifreeze for the radiator, the correct oil level and the cleaning fluid for the windscreen washer system. This should also have frost protection. If you can not determine the frost protection of the coolant (engine) yourself, you should have it done in a workshop. There you can also check the battery at the same time. Washing machines are always broken on weekends, batteries always in winter. Murphy's Law! Pay attention to the correct oil level, because the engine is exposed to frosty conditions in winter, because the oil must provide maximum performance in the lubrication, sealing and cooling of the components. Especially when cold starting, the oil must quickly reach all points in the unit, for the reason, the oil level must be right and the last oil change should not be too long ago. Stay away from the brake fluid. If there is no brake fluid, there is only one thing: off to the workshop! The brake circuit is a closed system, missing brake fluid know that either on a large wear of discs and pads or on another (worse) defect out. Incidentally, it also makes sense in the winter to brake more firmly to make the calipers passable or to avoid jamming.
Does everything work?
Headlight, turn signal, high beam, brake light, fog lights, rear fog light, license plate light? Wiper, windscreen washer, rear wiper, heater? Everything should be tested before the onset of winter and repair / replace defective bulbs.
Clean up the car and clean it
It sounds weird, but it is good for the winter to clean the vehicle once again. Once from the outside, but above all from the inside. Also like to clean the windows properly. This also reduces fogging in winter. We also recommend using a suitable brush to remove dog hair, which could otherwise start to stew in winter and who wants a bad-smelling interior? KUNGS has a silicone brush in its assortment. With this you can remove sand, dirt or pet hair and then clean the brush with water.
The ice scraper can also be placed in the boot, where there are reasonable ice scrapers, we had already answered in detail in our first post.
After cleaning, you should use silicone or petroleum jelly to process the door rubbers and thus protect against freezing or tearing. This is done on all doors, but also on the trunk.
On vehicles with sliding doors, it is important to clean the rails before winter and to make the casters walkable with oil. For vehicles with windows that open a gap to open, keep the windows clean from the inside and outside, which prevents them from freezing.
Short form - our tips for making the car winter-proof in autumn:
Suitable tires with sufficient profile and air, all liquids checked, car washed and cleaned interior, ice scrapers placed in the trunk and the light device and the windscreen wipers checked? Then winter can come, right?
We have one more tip:
Make a driving safety course! We do that too! Annually and with pleasure! They do a) fun and b) take you and your vehicle in borderline situations and learn how to control the vehicle when it either pushes over the front axle or breaks out over the rear axle. You learn how to properly brake and steer, because that's just one thing in the winter already proverbially "save the butt".