The last thing you want if you live somewhere the temperatures drop to below zero is to have your engine freeze up. The same is true if you are heading to the mountains to ski. Make sure you have enough anti-freeze in the coolant and it won’t be an issue.
Perhaps the most important thing over winter – and summer for that matter – is road worthy tyres. Rain, snow, ice, fog and whatever else the winter throws at us can make the roads treacherous. It is vital your tyres are up to the job. Check your car tyres have adequate tread depth (standard tyres must have 1.5mm over three-quarters of the tyre, around its entire circumference while snow tyres have a 4mm requirement) and check your tyre pressures are correct. If you need new tyres change them before winter sets in.
It is always worth giving your battery a little TLC before the change of the seasons. Make sure the battery’s posts and connections are corrosion-free and the fluid levels are correct. If you need a new battery then replace it before it is too late.
It doesn’t matter where you are in New Zealand it will at some point be cold – especially in the morning as you cart the kids to school or yourself to work. It is a lot more comfortable in a car where the heating is working properly. Not only that but if you live in a region that gets frost or snow you will need to heat the front and rear windows to see. Don’t be one of those people who drive with their head sticking out of the window because the windscreen is frosted up. Keep the car warm and the windows clear. And keep an ice scraper in the car.