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So imagine you’ve taken your pride and joy to be looked after by a Car Storage company. But what about your everyday car? Winter driving can be far more demanding than at other times of the year; darker evenings, wetter weather and too few gritting lorries! Below we have put together a few things to take note of when driving and storing your car in winter conditions. Even if you are aware of the following, they may still make useful advice to pass onto an inexperienced driver or spouse…

Windscreen. Dirt and grime builds up quicker during winter, mostly due to leading and passing vehicles. It is especially important to clean the wiper blades. Doing so will eliminate those annoying streaks and smears when using your wipers. For best results; wiper blades should be replaced once a year, ideally when the car is serviced.
Windscreen washer fluid. You would be surprised by the amount of times friends have asked to ‘borrow’ some! In winter make sure that the fluid is of adequate strength to ensure it does not freeze in the pipes. Most branded products will give a mix ratio on the label which may vary depending on expected temperatures. Don’t forget to check the rear wiper reservoir if separate to the front as well!
Lights. Some modern vehicles have separate headlight washers, which are activated with the front windscreen washer. Another reason to ensure washer fluid is topped up. If your car doesn’t have separate headlight washers; it is a good idea to ask your passenger very nicely to wipe them clean before your journey – or while you pay for fuel.
Antifreeze. Antifreeze both lowers the freezing point of the water used to cool your engine and raises the boiling point (noticed how the gauge can sit close to 100?C and the water doesn’t boil like your kettle?). Check that it is of adequate strength with an appropriate gauge. Antifreeze also has anticorrosive properties so check that the solution is clear – not cloudy. Most respected garages will be able to check for free.
Battery. If the weather turns chilly the battery is one thing you may only notice when it’s too late. The day you get in your car, turn the key and nothing happens is the day we all dread. Preventative maintenance is key! Batteries will generally last five years of average use but there are things we can do to help them. When you start your car you are putting the most amount of strain on the battery. Think of it like asking a teenager to get out of bed at 8am, tidy their room and help around the house all at once – tricky to say the least. Because of this there are a few things we can do to help. When starting your car make sure that there is nothing else using power as well. Turn off the radio, lights, demisters and the heater, this will allow all the battery’s power to go to only starting the car. When the engine is running you can of course use all of these. Think of it like asking a teenager to do something when they’re actually out of bed.
An ice scraper and deicer are handy tools to have in cold weather but are of little use if you can’t get into your car. In some cold conditions door surrounds can freeze to the bodywork making entry rather difficult and potentially damaging. Deicer could be used to help free a frozen door if left on a garden wall or in your coat pocket overnight.
Tyres. The UK legal minimum tread depth is for ‘a minimum of 1.6mm in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width, throughout the whole of the circumference.’