Breakdown Guides

How to keep your car moving this winter

Friday 2 December, 2011

By Martin Fagan

Merely hoping that your car won’t break down this winter isn’t enough - you need to prepare it for the chilly season. We show you how a few simple precautions that could help you avoid having to make the call for home start or roadside rescue and, should disaster strike, also compare breakdown cover.

Car breakdowns are an irritating inconvenience at the best of times, but winter brings with it another layer of concern, as snow and freezing conditions can sap your battery, freeze your cooling systems, ice up your washer bottles and crack your windshield.

Many motorists drive into the winter months without giving a thought for preparing their vehicle for the worsening weather and anticipating its affect on their car. And many more are shocked when they turn the ignition key and, rather than hearing the engine roar into life, hear instead the ominous “click” of a dead electrical system.

With bad weather striking late last year, on 20 December, 2010 alone the RAC attended 17,000 separate instances of vehicle breakdown - nearly 12 a minute or 700 an hour for 24 hours. Had the vehicles’ owners taken some small precautionary steps, the chief causes of the breakdowns could easily have been avoided.

• Main causes of breakdowns in winter
• How to prevent a breakdown - love your battery
• Be pro antifreeze
• Keep your tyres tidy
• Don’t neglect your screen washers
• How to survive a breakdown in winter
• The cost of breaking down without cover
• Comparing breakdown cover
• And finally...

Main causes of breakdowns in winter

The RAC (www.rac.co.uk), the AA (www.theaa.com) and Green Flag (www.greenflag.com) all agree - topping the list for the single biggest cause of winter breakdowns is battery failure.

Battery breakdown is the most common cause of breakdown at any time of year, but particularly in winter where the cold weather causes the battery’s power output to drop, and also its ability to accept a charge, so it doesn’t recharge as quickly while you’re driving. In addition, an increased call on the battery’s power - from lights, blowers, rear screen heaters and even heated seats - can nudge it over the edge.

Another main cause of breakdown is the seizing up of the vehicle’s cooling system because the water in it is frozen. This doesn’t sound like much of a problem until you consider the consequences - trying to start a car with a frozen water pump could mean you strip the teeth off the timing belt, leading to expensive internal engine damage.

Green Flag says that it responds to over 110,000 tyre and wheel-related breakdowns a year (9% of the total calls received) and says many of these could have been avoided with regular maintenance checks. Kerb impact can damage sidewalls and, possibly, wheel rims. Both can result in slow leaks. If any damage is visible, consult a specialist tyre dealer.

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How to prevent a breakdown - love your battery

As battery failure is the biggest single cause of winter breakdown, it makes sense to ensure yours is in tip-top condition. Many factors contribute to the efficiency of your battery, but a major one is the age of the battery itself. Batteries over five years old will start to struggle, especially if you’ve previously allowed it to drain of power (by leaving headlights on) and had to completely recharge it from dead. Some batteries may struggle on for a bit, but many won't, so it's much better to replace it at your convenience rather than as part of a roadside emergency.

The easiest way to maintain your battery’s health is to reduce the demands on it so, when you park up, check that everything electrical is turned off - even an interior light, boot light or radio left on overnight can kill a battery in cold weather. When starting a car from cold on a winter morning, to reduce the load on the battery, the AA recommends switching off everything electrical and dipping the clutch before firing the ignition.

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Be pro antifreeze

Adding antifreeze to the cooling system is also recommended in the winter months. Most cooling systems on modern cars specify that antifreeze should be used all year round as a corrosion inhibitor; however, it’s a good idea to check the strength of the coolant at the start of the winter and add more antifreeze if necessary.

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Keep your tyres tidy

In snow and icy conditions, you need a good depth of tyre tread to bite into the road. The legal minimum depth of tread is 1.6mm and most of the motoring organisations recommend at least 3mm (preferably more) tread depth in winter.

In many parts of mainland Europe it’s a legal requirement for drivers to use special tyres in winter made from a special rubber compound and tread pattern. According to the AA, winter tyres make sense if you live in a remote area of the UK where winter conditions are likely to be worse for longer.

There’s also some confusion about the insurance status of winter tyres, with some insurers charging an extra premium for them; however, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) says fitting winter tyres should not result in extra cost but, if they have been fitted to their vehicle, motorists should inform their insurer.

And remember to maintain the tyre on your spare wheel. Confusingly, you’re not obliged by law to carry a spare and, while it’s stowed away, it doesn’t have to comply with the legal requirements and the spare isn’t part of the MOT test. However, when fitted to the vehicle (for example, following a puncture), it must then comply with the law and it’s an offence to drive a vehicle with an unroadworthy spare tyre.

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Don’t neglect your screen washers

Although they won’t cause your vehicle to break down, non-functioning screen washers cause many accidents, especially on motorways where salt-infused spray can quickly cloud the windscreen making visibility difficult. It’s a legal requirement the system works, so use a screen wash additive in the reservoir and, in the chillier months, use it undiluted. Don’t use anti-freeze as a substitute for screen wash - it will smear your screen and may well strip your paintwork.

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How to survive a breakdown in winter

Regardless of how well you maintain your vehicle and how thoroughly you prepare it for winter, breakdowns happen often enough to other people to make you realise it could also happen to you.

The first survival tip is to check the weather forecast. On 18t December, 2010, the heaviest snowfalls since 1981 crippled swathes of the UK’s transport network, leaving tens of thousands of cars stranded on the major motorways as the snowfall brought the majority of roads to a standstill. People trapped in their cars could rue the fact the Met Office had warned 48 hours previously the snow was on the way, but many motorists - some trapped in their vehicles for days - had ignored the warnings.

Also, let friends or family know where you’re travelling to and when you expect to arrive. Before setting off on a winter journey, Green Flag recommends you pack the following:

• Spade, torch and windscreen scraper for snow and ice removal
• Thick, loose-fitting clothing for added warmth along with Wellington or other sturdy boots and a blanket or sleeping bag
• A warm drink and emergency food in case your vehicle breaks down
• An anti-skid mat or piece of old carpet (in case you get stuck in the snow)
• Your policy documents and the contact number of your breakdown organisation
• A fully-charged mobile phone to call for help in the event of a breakdown
• Make sure you have at least half a tank of petrol during the winter months, as this prevents moisture collecting and freezing in the petrol line

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The cost of breaking down without cover

Many people who break down or prang their vehicles - regardless of the season - are grateful they had the foresight to be a member of a breakdown and recovery organisation.

If you have no clue how your car works, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to diagnose and repair any fault on your driveway or in the stressful circumstances of a roadside breakdown. Getting a garage or independent recovery service out to your vehicle is an expensive prospect, with a typical call-out charge of around £50 (considerably more if it’s outside business hours, the weekend or a bank holiday) and then a high hourly rate for the repair.

If the garage can’t affect a roadside repair, they will charge a price per mile (around £1.50) to tow you back home, which will be calculated for a “round trip” or “return miles” basis, meaning the recovery contractor will charge you per mile from when they leave their depot until they get back to the depot and will almost certainly insist you pay this - and any VAT - in advance.

If you break down twice in a year and the recovery contractor has to do a round trip of 50 miles, that’s an annual bill of £250 plus any VAT. The annual premium with a roadside recovery specialist will be considerably cheaper.

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Comparing breakdown cover

Rather like an offshoot of car insurance, breakdown cover offers peace of mind that either your car will be fixed at the roadside or you’ll be towed home or to a garage convenient to - and nominated by - your provider so the vehicle can be repaired.

The three major providers of breakdown cover in the UK are: the AA, the RAC and Green Flag. Smaller, less well known providers are Asda and GEM Breakdown.

Before you can compare cover, you have to decide what level of cover you want. Basic cover is roadside assistance, which means you have to be away from your home (the AA says at least a quarter of a mile) and if it can’t be fixed, a tow to the nearest approved garage.

Then you can add (at extra cost) recovery where, if the vehicle can’t be fixed at the roadside, then you, your car and passengers will be taken to a chosen destination in the UK (the AA’s service is called “Relay”).

Then there’s a home start service - if your car won’t start on the driveway, a mechanic will come to your home to fix the problem (all three major recovery providers say the main cause of ignition failure on a cold morning is a dodgy battery and the first working day of a new year is often the peak day for failing batteries).

Other options exist, such as parts and garage cover and an “onward travel” feature where the cover includes car hire for a set period, overnight hotel stays and return travel by public transport.

If you’re looking to bundle several features together (such as the basic cover, national recovery and home start), all the breakdown companies offer discounts if you sign-up for more than one aspect of their service.

For a more information, read Breakdownchoices.co.uk’s in-depth guide to breakdown recovery services.

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And finally...

The motoring organisations are inundated with calls when the temperatures drop and it snows or there’s a big freeze, so preparing your car for the winter months reduces the likelihood you’ll need assistance.

But if you have some form of breakdown cover and the worst happens and your car conks out leaving you stranded, you have the peace of mind of knowing that someone who can get the car going again is only a phone call away.

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