Tips to Take Care of Your Car during Winters
Tips to Take Care of Your Car during Winters
Winters not only take a toll on us but also on our vehicles. The cold temperatures can easily impact the performance of your car and if you do not take proper care, it can even cause some damage. Not taking care of your car during the winters can leave it exposed to a lot of potential damage.
Impact of winter on cars
Here are some of the most prominent effects that winters can have on your car.
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For starters, the rubber beadings on the doors and windows can turn brittle and eventually crack during winters. This will make way for water to get inside your car.
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A healthy pair of brakes will ensure that you stop precisely when you want to during winters. Paying close attention to your brake rotors during winters is important.
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Oil usually thickens during winters, thereby making the idling time of vehicles a little bit more. It might take a bit longer to reach the optimum operating temperatures.
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People usually face issues with their wipers getting stuck to the windscreen during the winters.
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Keeping a close eye on the maintenance of your car is one of the smartest ways of tackling the issues faced during winters. Should you follow certain simple maintenance steps, you can avoid most of the problems mentioned above.
Maintenance and insurance cover
The service intervals of cars are much lesser when compared with bikes. While most of the cars have a yearly service interval, few of them have half yearly service intervals. In either case, it is essential that you do not miss out on the maintenance of your car. Regular and proper maintenance of cars ensures that they do not breakdown and the regular wear and tear are well controlled.
Cars with poor maintenance records tend to breakdown more often or have a lot of wear and tear. Car insurance policies usually exclude both these scenarios. Thus, proper maintenance of your car will make way for better claims or interaction with insurance companies.
Car maintenance steps
These are a few simple steps that you can carry out to make sure that your vehicle’s health is in top-notch condition.
Longer idling
If you usually let your car idle for 20 to 30 seconds before starting, let it idle for about a minute during the winters. This additional duration will help all the fluids to get up to optimum temperature.
Check tyres
Whether it is the pressure in the tyres or wearing of treads, you must not ignore your tyres. A quick check for the rotation of tyres, wheel balancing or even checking the tyre pressure regularly is important.
Battery
The importance of a battery increases several folds during winters. The fluids inside the battery tend to thicken, thereby making it a bit difficult for normal functioning. With the onset of winters, make it a habit to check your battery’s health and take preventive measures if necessary.
Vehicle insurance
Winters can pose a few driving hazards in the form of darker nights and immense fog. It is recommended that you do a quick check on your vehicle insurance status and renew the same before winters. It will keep you and your vehicle safe during winters and keep you away from any unwanted worries of breakdowns.
Conclusion
Winters can be hard on you and your vehicles. Regular maintenance will increase your vehicle’s reliability and give you the confidence to enjoy your winters with frequent trips and travels. The above maintenance steps will offer you peace of mind and a better car to drive.
Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.
S. Gopala Krishnan | Motor Insurance Expert | 40+ years of experience in insurance industry
A veteran in insurance industry. S. Gopala Krishnan is a name to reckon with in the field of reinsurance, he has headed the Reinsurance department and has rich experience in other fields of motor insurance. He loves to share his opinion on latest topics in the insurance industry and how he can help people in safeguarding their assets using insurance products.
Mr.S. Gopala Krishnan recommends "HDFC ERGO for your vehicle insurance needs, it has always put customer’s interest at the forefront, with round the clock assistance to deal with emergency breakdown issues and hassle free claims process. You can be assured of complete and reliable guidance through the whole process."