Getting your car ready for a High Peak winter

Winter comes early up here and stays late. Buxton sits about a thousand feet up, and the roads in and out cross some of the highest ground in the Peak. Cold mornings, gritted roads and potholes find every weak spot a car has. A few checks now can save you a cold wait at the roadside later.

The battery

Cold weather is when tired batteries give up. If the engine has started turning over slowly on cold mornings, that is your warning. A battery that is on its way out is far easier to replace on your drive than in a lay-by.

Tyres

The legal minimum is 1.6mm of tread, but grip in snow and slush falls away well before that. Check the depth across the whole width of each tyre, and look for cuts and bulges from potholes. Keep them at the right pressure, because it drops as the temperature does.

Coolant and screenwash

Make sure the coolant is at the right level with enough antifreeze in it. Fill the screenwash with a proper winter mix, not plain water, which freezes in the bottle and the pipes.

Lights and wipers

Walk round the car with the lights on. Short days mean you will use them on most journeys. Wiper blades that smear or judder won't cope with the spray off a gritted A6.

Brakes

Salt and grit get into calipers and onto discs, and long cold descents don't help. If your brakes are making a new noise or pulling, get them checked before the bad weather, not during it. Our post on what your brakes are telling you covers the common signs.

Suspension and steering

Frost breaks road surfaces up, and every pothole is a knock to your springs, shock absorbers and links. If you hit a deep one and the car now knocks over bumps, pulls, or the steering wheel sits off centre, have it looked at. A broken coil spring can damage a tyre.

Keep a few things in the car

• A scraper and de-icer
• A torch
• A warm coat, gloves and a blanket
• A phone charger
• Something to kneel on if you have to change a wheel in the slush

If you would like your car looked over before the snow comes, ring us. Most of these checks can be done at your home or work, and we'll tell you honestly what needs doing now and what can wait. See what we fix.