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Getting your car up and running on a cold Winter morning is no easy thing, but follow these tips and they should help you get going sooner and safer.
Saga magazine have outlined some great tips for defrosting and preparing your car. We have highlighted some of them below:
The night before, raise your windscreen wipers off the screen to prevent them freezing to it; nothing ruins the rubber faster than inadvertently switching them on when they’re stuck to the screen.
The night before, try applying vaseline on the door seals. This will help stop them freezing up. Done properly, you should only have to do it once or twice a season.
The night before, you can also spray the outside of your windows with a night-before de-icer. The idea is to leave a thin film over the glass that protects and prevents it icing up in the first place.
On the morning, I personally find one of the most effective things to use is a de-icer spray, the best I have experienced is from a can. They are extremely effective and you can be driving away quickly. A tip is to brush off any excess snow or ice first to give the de-icer the best chance of clearing the ice.
Don't forget to de-ice your door mirrors so you can see behind. If your door locks are frozen give them a quick squirt of de-icer. If you don’t have any then use some alcohol-based hand cleansing gel on the key. As will vodka or any other spirit!
Please don’t be tempted to pour water inside the lock to thaw it out or you’ll be left with a completely frozen mechanism next time, or worse still, it could lock the key inside!
Once you have successfully de-iced your car and you are safetly on your way, do remember to drive with more caution on the roads. Icy roads and other drivers are always a risk!
To find out more about this topic take a look on the Saga website: http://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/motoring/cars/using/how-to-defrost-your-car
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