Britain’s motorists are being urged not to be complacent as the country faces an arctic freeze in less than two weeks.*
Forecasters predict the UK will see the coldest winter for a century which could last five months, with harsh winter freezes, heavy snow and strong icy winds just around the corner.
Paul Caller, Chief Executive at car care company Autoglym is urging drivers to prepare their car now before the weather turns for the worse, and has issued a winter car care guide to ensure Britain’s vehicles are winter ready.
Paul says: “Severe winter weather can really take its toll on your car and road salt especially can accelerate the corrosion of the paintwork on your vehicle leading to rust.
“Preparation with quality car care products is the key, and can help to reduce the harmful effects of very low temperatures, road salt and increased grime, while also making future cleaning a lot easier. It can also help avoid labour-intensive and potentially costly repairs later.”
Amongst the advice contained in Autoglym’s winter car care guide is preparing your car bodywork by washing it with a purpose-formulated pH-neutral car shampoo, and protecting the paintwork with a protective wax which contains waxes, resins and oils that are resistant to environmental contaminants for up to six months.
All Autoglym products, which are used on the vehicles of the Royal households of HM The Queen and HRH Prince of Wales, are put through a stringent development regime including testing in extreme temperatures including the freezing Icelandic winters.
Paul continues: “Simple things like dislodging mud and salt build-up from under the wheel arches and cleaning a vehicle regularly with a high quality car shampoo are key to protecting your vehicle during those long winter months.
“Also increasing the concentration strength of your screenwash will help shift heavy duty salt and grime, as well as preventing the solution freezing on your windscreen as the temperatures drop.”
Autoglym’s winter car care guide can we found online at www.autoglym.com and below.
Autoglym’s winter car care guide
– Carry a full-strength De-icer to clear ice from windscreen, mirrors, wipers and locks
– Prepare your car bodywork by washing it with a purpose-formulated pH-neutral car shampoo, such as Autoglym’s Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner.
– Protect your bodywork for winter with a premium-grade protective wax, such as Autoglym’s High Definition Wax which contains a combination of waxes, resins and oils that are exceptionally resistant to environmental contaminants for up to six months.
– Glasswork is always harder to keep clean in winter months, but Autoglym’s Fast Glass is an easy-to-use rapid cleaner and is ideal for restoring absolute clarity to front and rear windscreens, side windows, door mirrors and headlights.
– A constant exposure to the cold temperatures on plastic bumpers, exterior trim and rubber door and window seals can cause a risk of cracking or fracturing. A specially formulated treatment, such as Autoglym’s Vinyl & Rubber Care, protects rubber and plastic surfaces, and helps prevent rubber door and window seals from sticking in the freeze.
– DON’T use washing up liquid to wash your car as it can remove protective coatings on paintwork
– DON’T use boiling water to clear ice from your windscreen as it can crack the glass
– DON’T drive until your front and rear screen and side windows are clear of snow, ice, dirt and condensation
Autoglym stock a winter car care kit containing all you need for those frosty mornings, including a powerful de-icer effective to -50°C, a screenwash which can be mixed to remain unfrozen at -45°C, an ice scraper and an interior micro-fibre cloth to demist windows if the heater doesn’t work fast enough.
Priced at £15.99 and available to buy from www.autoglym.com
*The Daily Express 28 October