The calendar doesn’t lie – the harmattan season is fast approaching. As usual, you have gotten yourself ready for the cold weather by stocking up on warm clothes, vitamins, and other essentials, but is your car ready for the wind, dust, and every nasty thing the harmattan brings?
This season can affect different parts of your car, so it is important to take some time before the cold weather sets in to ensure your vehicle can handle whatever Mother Nature throws at it.
Here are four maintenance tips to see your car through the harmattan this year:
Keep Your Battery Charged
When conducting your harmattan maintenance checks, your battery should be your first priority. Cold and damp weather during the winter months can be put a massive strain on your vehicle’s battery life and it can hurt how your battery can deliver.
Always check if you have enough charge in your battery by simply turning on your headlights before you start your engine.
If you notice the lights get brighter when you turn your engine on, your battery may be dying and struggling to provide enough power to start your vehicle.
Inspect Your Tires
It’s important to ensure that your tires are in good condition as they are key to your vehicle’s steering and braking.
This season, inspect your vehicle’s tires and if the tread wear bars are showing, it’s time to replace them. Worn-out tires are unable to effectively grip the road and this could lead to various forms of accidents. It’s also important that you check your tires for pressure and tread depth.
The legal limit is 1.6mm, but it is recommended that you have more than this during the winter as they will give you a better grip.
Check Your Oil Regularly
You should check your oil regularly and top it up when needed, but during the cold harmattan days, checking your oil couldn’t be more important.
Generally, you’ll need thinner oil during this period and when it comes to checking your oil, ensure that your vehicle is parked on level ground and that the engine is cold.
Check Your Lights Too
Although it sounds simple, you should check that all of your vehicle’s lights, indicators, and rear reflectors are clean.
You should also ensure that that there are no cracked lenses and all the bulbs are working as they should.
Ensure that you have quality exterior lights as this helps you to see the road ahead clearly on those nights and also allows other road users to easily spot you.
Take Care Of Your Wiper And Windshield
Constantly examine your windshield wipers and look for signs of wear or damage like splitting. If you notice this, change them immediately because they won’t be clearing your windshield effectively.
You should also protect your windshield with C-Protect glass protective solution. This durable solution protects your windshield may consider switching to a winter wiper blade – they typically have a durable cover that helps prevent slush and snow from freezing joints.