Before Winter Arrives: Give Your Car This 10-Minute Check

The first freezing morning of the year is a terrible time to discover your battery has had enough.

You turn the key.

Nothing.

Try again.

A slightly pathetic noise comes from somewhere under the bonnet.

And suddenly the morning involves jump leads, frantic phone calls and explaining why you're going to be late.

Winter has a habit of finding the little things we've been ignoring.

The wiper that's been smearing the windscreen for three months.

The tyre that's looking a bit tired.

The screenwash bottle you've been meaning to fill since August.

You don't need to turn the driveway into a garage forecourt.

Give the car ten minutes in daylight before the colder weather arrives and you can catch some of the most obvious problems before you're dealing with them on a dark, wet morning.

Start With the Tyres

Walk around the car and look at all four.

If your car has a spare, check that too.

There's not much joy in discovering your spare is flat while the other tyre is sitting beside you with a hole in it.

Look for cuts, cracks and bulges, along with anything stuck in the tread.

Then check the tread depth.

For cars, the legal minimum is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre and around its full circumference.

Remember that's the legal minimum, not a challenge to see how close you can get.

If your tyres are approaching the limit or you're concerned about their condition, get them checked rather than waiting until they're obviously worn.

Then check the pressures.

Your car's recommended tyre pressures should be in the handbook or displayed somewhere such as the driver's door area or fuel flap.

Check them when the tyres are cold.

It takes a few minutes and saves the traditional winter approach of giving each tyre a kick and declaring:

“Yeah, that looks alright.”

Can You Actually See Out?

This sounds ridiculous until you're driving into low winter sun with a windscreen covered in smears.

Give the glass a clean inside as well as outside.

That inside film is easy to ignore until sunlight hits it at exactly the wrong angle and suddenly you're peering through something resembling frosted bathroom glass.

Clean the mirrors too.

Then look at the wipers.

If they're leaving streaks, juddering across the windscreen or missing sections of glass, it's time to do something about them.

Top up the screenwash while you're there, using one suitable for colder weather.

And don't wait until you're halfway along the A47 to discover it's empty.

We've all pulled the washer stalk expecting a glorious blast of cleaning fluid only to receive one sad little squirt.

Check the Lights Before the Dark Evenings Set In

Winter means more driving in the dark.

So spend a couple of minutes checking the lights.

Dipped headlights.

Full beam.

Indicators.

Brake lights.

Fog lights.

Reversing lights.

The easiest way is to get somebody else to stand outside while you test them.

If you're on your own, reflections in windows, garage doors and other surfaces can help with some of the checks.

Give the lights a clean at the same time.

The Highway Code requires drivers to have a clear view and keep lights, indicators, reflectors and number plates clean and clear.

Windscreens and windows must also be kept clean and free from anything that obscures your view.

None of that is complicated.

It's just very easy to forget.

Open the Bonnet

No mechanical expertise required.

And no, we're not about to suggest dismantling anything.

Check the oil, coolant and screenwash following the instructions for your car.

If you're unsure what you're looking at, use the handbook rather than opening random caps and hoping for the best.

And never open a hot cooling system.

Coolant is particularly important as temperatures drop.

If the coolant level keeps falling, don't make repeatedly topping it up your long-term solution. Get the cause checked.

While the bonnet is open, have a look at the battery.

You're looking for obvious damage or corrosion around the terminals.

But the bigger clue might already have appeared when you've started the car.

Has the engine been turning over more slowly?

Has it taken a couple of attempts to start?

Have the lights behaved strangely when you've turned the key?

Cold weather isn't kind to a battery that's already struggling.

Finding that out at home is considerably preferable to discovering it in a car park at 10pm.

Don't Play Fuel-Light Roulette

You know the game.

The warning light comes on.

“It'll be fine.”

Twenty miles later:

“It'll definitely be fine.”

Then you spend the rest of the journey watching the range estimate with the concentration normally reserved for a bomb-disposal scene in a film.

During winter, give yourself a bit more margin.

Traffic can build.

Roads can close.

Journeys can take longer than expected.

Petrol and diesel drivers should make sure they've got enough fuel for the journey with some in reserve.

The same thinking applies to electric cars.

Check the available range, think about the journey and know where you can charge if needed.

Nobody needs to start every trip with a completely full tank or 100% battery.

Just don't make your entire journey depend on absolutely nothing going wrong.

Put a Few Things in the Boot

This doesn't require a survival kit capable of getting you through three weeks in the Norwegian wilderness.

Start with the obvious things:

• ice scraper and de-icer

• torch

• phone charging cable or power bank

• warm coat or extra layer

• gloves

• water

• something reflective

• basic first-aid kit

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If you regularly drive at night or use rural roads outside Peterborough, a few basic supplies make even more sense.

Most of the time you'll never touch them.

That's fine.

A torch sitting unused in the boot for six months is considerably less irritating than needing one and discovering the only light available is your phone currently on 4%.

Peterborough Grits the Roads But That Doesn't Make Them Summer Roads

Peterborough City Council's winter service runs from 1 October to 30 April, with weather and road conditions monitored to decide when precautionary salting is needed.

But grit isn't magic.

Not every road can be treated, and even on treated routes conditions can still be difficult.

Your tyres still matter.

So do your speed, visibility and the distance you leave between yourself and the car ahead.

And there are plenty of smaller roads around Peterborough and the surrounding villages where winter conditions can feel very different from the main routes.

Ten Minutes Now Beats Twenty Minutes in the Cold

That's really all this is.

You don't need to become a mechanic.

You don't need to spend Saturday morning lovingly inspecting every component of the family hatchback.

Just do the obvious checks before you need them.

Tyres.

Lights.

Wipers.

Screenwash.

Oil.

Coolant.

Battery.

Fuel or charge.

Then throw a scraper, torch and a few useful bits in the boot.

Ten minutes on the driveway on a Saturday afternoon isn't particularly exciting.

Neither is standing beside a car that won't start at 7.30 on a freezing Monday morning.

Given the choice, we'll take the driveway.

What's Always in Your Car During Winter?

Now we're asking Peterborough drivers.

What's the one thing you always put in the car when winter arrives?

Maybe it's something obvious.

Maybe it's something you only started carrying after getting caught out once.

Or perhaps there's a winter car check you swear by every year.

Tell Peterborough Spotlight what you check or what you keep in the car and why by commenting below.

We'll use the best suggestions to put together a Peterborough drivers' winter check list.