Top 12 tips to improve your winter driving….

Every year, motorists face a new challenge: winter. Although it’s on the calendar every year, many motorists are unprepared when it comes to dealing with the hazards of this cold season. To make sure you’re not one of them, we’ve got 12 great life tips to help you and your car get through the winter.

12 tips to improve your winter driving

To make sure you can drive your car safely in winter, there are a few things you can do to prepare it for winter. First and foremost, this includes:

  • Proper winter tires are essential.
  • Have your radiator antifreeze checked.
  • Clean windows inside and out.
  • Check door seals.
  • Have the car battery checked.
  • Check windshield wipers and antifreeze.

If, despite all these preparations, you run into a problem, the following winter tips are sure to help.

1. window fogging

Fogging up the windows as soon as you get in the car is a daily problem for motorists in winter. The most reliable solution is to switch on the air conditioning. But you can also clear your view with absorbent sponges or towels.

To avoid this annoying problem, you can apply shaving foam to the windows, leave it to work briefly and wipe off the residue with a dry cloth. This has the same effect as anti-fog spray.

You can also prevent fogging inside the car by filling a sock with kitty litter, tying it in a knot and leaving it in the car overnight. The granules remove moisture from the air within a few hours.

2. Frosted keyholes, handles and doors

If your keyhole is frozen, put some disinfectant gel on the key and the hole. The alcohol it contains also helps prevent doors and their handles from freezing. As for the lock and door handle, you can also use WD-40 spray as a preventive measure. It prevents moisture from reaching the surfaces and thus prevents icing.

3. start-up problems

As a general rule, you should start and accelerate a little more “gently” when the road is slippery. It’s best to start off in second gear and shift up early enough to prevent the tires from spinning.

4. Stuck in the snow

In this case, first try the “pendulum method”: To do this, start off carefully in forward gear until the wheels spin. Then immediately disengage the clutch and let the vehicle roll backwards, while engaging reverse gear and carefully starting off. You repeat this operation until your vehicle has “swung” out of the snow.

Otherwise, the key words are floor mats and kitty litter. If the ground is too slippery for the tires, place either floor mats in front of or behind the tires, or cat litter in the relevant areas.

5. Inefficient headlights

A problem that may not be noticed at first glance is the reduced visibility caused by dirty, and therefore less bright, headlights. Strange as it may seem, if you polish them regularly with toothpaste, you’ll be rid of the problem, at least for a while.

6. frosted windscreen wipers

Socks aren’t just for feet in cold weather. If there’s a risk of frost, simply slip a sock over each windshield wiper after getting out of the car. That way, they won’t freeze on the window if you leave the car for a few hours.

7. frosted side mirrors

Here’s a tip to prevent your side mirrors from icing up when the car is parked for too long. Tie a plastic bag around the mirror and tie it tightly. A resealable plastic bag works just as well.

8. Dirty car

Unfortunately, it’s not just headlights that get particularly dirty in winter. All surfaces absorb a lot of slush and salt during the cold months. There’s only one solution: clean your vehicle (or have it cleaned) regularly.

You should visit a carwash regularly, pre-wash the car to avoid scratches and don’t forget the wheel arches, as the washing brushes can’t reach them. Underbody washes are also important for removing salt crusts.

9. black ice when getting out of the car

A pair of large socks in the glove compartment, preferably those with non-slip studs, are particularly useful when winter arrives unexpectedly.

If the roads are suddenly slippery, you can slip the socks over your shoes and walk from the car to the warmth. They provide better grip.

10. slippery slope

If you can’t make headway on an icy slope, you should deactivate your ESP (Electronic Stability Program), if so equipped, as this automatically brakes wheels that are slipping.

If you get stuck on a hill, transfer your weight to the drive axle if possible. On rear-wheel drive vehicles, this means, for example, loading the trunk heavily. On front-wheel-drive vehicles, a passenger can sit (carefully) on the hood to increase pressure on the front axle when starting off.

11. Braking on black ice

As a general rule, when driving in winter, it’s best to drive slowly and anticipate, leaving as much distance as possible between you and the vehicle in front. Experts recommend a distance three times greater than in normal conditions.

The best thing is to test – as far as possible – each time you start driving, how your brakes react to the weather conditions. By applying the brake at low speed, you can find out how grippy the road surface is and adapt accordingly.

12. Frosted windshield

Another classic winter inconvenience for motorists. In an emergency, a kitchen spatula can prove effective against icy glass. A credit card can also do wonders for scratching.

Fortunately, you can also prevent the problem by laying an old sheet over the glass. It’s best to wedge the ends into the doors so that the cloth doesn’t fly off. What’s more, you can use the windscreen wipers to fix it to the bottom of the window, so that it doesn’t stick to the glass in the event of frost – a double help, in other words.

A piece of cardboard is not a good alternative. The material gets wet, freezes to the glass and is difficult to remove.

With these tips, you should be able to cope with all winter’s cold in your car. In adverse weather conditions, however, it’s best to take public transport if possible. For the rest, it’s a question of driving with caution and circumspection!