ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Independent Garage of the Year 2015, Inspire Customer Service Excellence 2016 Award & The Eagle Radio Customer Focus Business
2017 Award, are Servicing, Repair & MOT Specialists based in the heart of Farnborough, Hampshire. We like to give you hints and tips on maintaining
your Volvo or Toyota to help reduce breakdowns and expensive car repair bills.
The blog this week is about the checklist that you can go through for your Toyota or Volvo to get your car prepared for winter. It is reported that breakdowns
of vehicles almost doubles over the winter period. So the following blog is about what you can do to prepare yourself and your Volvo or Toyota not
to become one of the breakdown statistics.
Firstly, with the cold, dark and damp mornings we suggest that you check the health of your battery. If you do frequent short trips, you may find that
your battery struggles. Check the connections are well greased, to avoid rust issues. You can change your battery yourself or use an independent garage.
Remember if you do this yourself, you must dispose of it in the correct manner (and no that does not mean putting it in the bin!).
Check the bulbs on your Volvo or Toyota frequently. The lights are not just so that you can see where you are going but also for other road users to see
you. Try and carry a spare set of bulbs in your car, just in case you need to change any yourself. You face a fine if caught with defective lights.
With the nights getting colder and ice present, along comes the use of grit and salt. These can quickly make your headlights very dirty which in turn
will reduce your visibility. Clean them regularly.
Check that your tyres are correctly inflated and that there is sufficient tread. To read more information regarding tyre care read our blogs. Icy roads
and underinflated bald tyres do not mix well!
Make sure that your antifreeze is topped up, you can buy this at any local petrol station forecourt or from your local independent garage when you take
your car in for a service.
You will be using your screen wash a lot whilst there are grit and salt on the roads. Make sure that you regularly top this up and carry a bottle of spare
screen wash in the boot of your Volvo or Toyota for emergencies. There is nothing worse than trying to drive at night with already reduced visibility
and a white windscreen from salt being thrown up from the road. If you have to de-ice your windscreen in the mornings, never ever use boiling water
– you will crack your windscreen. Either use a scraper or de-icer.
One way of preventing yourself from being locked out of your car when it’s freezing outside is to put a little Vaseline around the door seals and into
the lock (if key operated). This will prevent the door seals from freezing together!
Do you have an emergency kit in your Volvo or Toyota? You should ensure that you have a warm coat or blanket, a phone charger, an emergency triangle, some
water & food (something like chocolate, crisps, biscuits, nuts), antifreeze/coolant, oil, a first aid kit and a high vis jacket or vest.
Finally, are you one of those drivers that always leaves it until the last minute to fill up the car? Or always drives around on the bare minimum in the
petrol tank? Well, during winter it is advisable to have at least a quarter of a tank full of petrol or diesel as you do not know if you will get caught
out in a traffic jam or behind an accident. You will need to keep your Volvo or Toyota running for warmth! Be safe out there!
Here at ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Motor Trader Independent Garage of The Year 2015, The Inspire Customer Service
Excellence 2016 Award and The Eagle Radio Customer Focus 2017 Business Award, we pride ourselves on offering an outstanding customer experience for
a fraction of the cost of a dealership. Give us a call and let us quote you for your next service or repair on your Volvo or Toyota. We service all
areas around Farnborough, Fleet, Aldershot, Farnham, Guildford,
Frimley, Camberley, Hook, Sandhurst, Crowthorne, Yateley, Hampshire and
Surrey. We offer free collection and drop off services. We also have a fleet of courtesy cars to allow you to get on with your schedule whilst your
Volvo or Toyota is with us. Happy Motoring from all at ACC UK Ltd – Independent Volvo & Toyota servicing, repair and MOT specialists based in the
heart of Farnborough, Hampshire.
