Autumn can be a tricky period for cars. Wetter, darker weather can be a tough period for our vehicles. With temperatures falling, it’s often a period when issues that may have not been noticed during summer can present themselves. Fortunately, preparing your car for autumn is a great way to get ahead of the curve and ensure you’re ready to go when the weather changes.
Here at David Hayton, we’re experts in all things car maintenance: servicing and repairs, so if you’ve got any more in-depth preparations - or if you’d like a trained technician to cast an eye over your vehicle - then get in touch today to arrange a service.
Tyres
Tyres are one of those car essentials that we can’t do without. After all, they’re the only point of contact between your car and the road. Particularly during wetter weather periods, tyres need to clear away water properly while delivering grip through the bends and during braking.
Here in the UK, the legal tread depth limit is 1.6mm - though we’d advise swapping them out before they reach that point. You can use an official tyre gauge to check this, though if you’re unsure, get in touch today and one of our team members will be happy to assist. Plus, it’s worth checking that your tyres are properly inflated. Under-pressure tyres wear unevenly and increase fuel consumption, so always make sure they’re topped up correctly. You can find the right pressures for your car’s tyre in the vehicle handbook, though they’re often displayed on a panel behind the fuel filler cap as well.
Fluids
Fluids ensure the healthy running of your car and you’ll find that many need topping up before you head into autumn. For one, washer fluid is essential to clear dirt and grime that often come with wet-weather driving, so ensure that this is topped up - you’ll be able to find the washer bottle under the bonnet (or sometimes in the boot on some models) and it’s usually got an eye-catching blue cap. Make sure you top up with proper washer fluid and not just water alone - this can freeze when things get colder and cause damage to the system. It’s a great thing that you can easily fix in preparation for winter.
Check your car’s oil, too, by removing the dipstick in the engine, cleaning it off and then returning the stick to the engine once more. Take it out and you should be able to read how much oil is in the engine via the gauge on the dipstick. If it’s low, top it up with the right oil for your car in increments, checking the dipstick and cleaning it every time. However, if you’d like some help in this area - or would rather have a full oil service instead - then check out our website today for servicing options.
Brakes
It’ll come as no surprise how important brakes are for your car. They’re the key way of slowing your vehicle down and when they don’t work properly, trouble tends to arise. If you’ve noticed that the brakes are overly squeaky, feel too soft when operated, or if there’s a judder through the pedal, then they might need checking and repairing.
Replacing brake pads is quite an intensive job but, fortunately, it’s a service that we offer. Even if you’ve got a small concern about your car’s brakes, it’s better to get them looked over to be on the safe side of things.
Windscreen
During summertime, there’s less chance of a windscreen cracking - though you can still pick up stone chips when driving in warmer weather. When things get colder, these stone chips can easily develop into a larger crack and, if that happens, you’ll need to get the whole thing replaced.
But if those cracks are repaired early, they can be stopped in their tracks. Before you head into autumn, give your windscreen a good check-over and look out for any stone chips. They’re reasonably inexpensive to repair when caught early and can prevent a far costlier fix later on.
Interior
Since you’re going through plenty of car maintenance, why not treat the interior to a quick spruce-up before things get dark? Remove all accumulated rubbish and clean the whole interior well with a vacuum and dedicated cleaners.
It’s a good time to clean the inside of all of your windows, too. During the brighter summer, it’s not as obvious when a window is streaky, but when you’re facing oncoming lights, this can quickly turn into a bigger issue. Clean them down with an appropriate cleaner and a clean microfiber cloth to get rid of any grime and streaks in no time.
David Hayton Aftersales
At David Hayton, we’re able to help out with all manner of maintenance and servicing issues, so if you’ve got any queries - or would like to book your car in to be checked over by a trained technician—then get in touch today. If you’d like to go a step further and check out a new car for autumn instead, then we’ve got a wide range of vehicles to choose from, so get in touch today.