1. Tyre Condition & Thread Depth
The key differences between winter and summer tyres are their tread design, rubber compound and structure. Winter tyres have a deeper tread pattern and are designed to provide a cavity for the snow.
Here at Fitzpatrick's Garages we recommend at least 3mm of tread. You could also consider putting winter tyres on your car. Winter tyres have thousands of small grooves, called sipes. Their purpose is to disperse water and prevent aquaplaning. The rubber in winter tyres is designed to give you a much better grip on the road. This will enable you to stop in a shorter distance making you safer on the roads.
Tyre pressure needs regular checking and adjusting. This is vital to help keep the life expectancy of your tyres.
Under inflated tyres can overheat. Over inflated tyres can lead to poor vehicle handling and increase risks on the road.
2. Headlights, Brake Lights, Indicators
As mornings and evenings are getting darker headlight function is especially important. Visibility this time of year is often poor. Find a friend and ask them to help you check all your headlights, brake lights and indicator bulbs are all working as well as they should be!
3. Brakes
Due to rainy days and in some cases blankets of slippery wet leaves, making sure your cars breaking performance is vital and will reduce your risk of accidents. Fitzpatrick's will happily check your brakes for you to make sure they are in top condition for the colder months ahead!
4. Windscreen Wipers
Rain.. and lots more rain is on the horizon and chances are you will be driving in it a lot more often. Keeping a clear windscreen sounds simple but many motorists neglect this vital check. Cracked glass and worn wiper blades greatly increase your chances of crashing from poor visibilty Ensure your wiper blades wipe smoothly and effectively clean the windscreen.
5. Air Conditioning Function
This might seem like a tip for Summer however your Air Conditioning system is just as important this time of year as well. Ensure your car isn’t steaming up inside as this can restrict your view all around especially on rainy days.
Pop into your local Fitzpatrick's Service Centre. Our customers saftey comes first and we would be happy to help you perforn these important car safety checks for the colder months ahead.