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A go to guide for garages and their customers this winter.
As the icy grip of winter takes hold, making sure vehicles are best equipped to combat the coldest the weather has to offer is esssential for motorists to keep moving as temperatures drop on the road.
When prepping a vehicle for the winter months, garages and their more knowledgable customers will know that topping up anti-freeze, ensuring the battery is fully charged and having lights fully working will always feature towards the top of any seasonal checklist.
As research from recovery firms shows that vehicles are twice as likely to break down during the winter, it’s a checklist that is significantly more important than at any other time of the year.
With TPS’s popular Quantum range, there is the opportunity to stock up on anti-freeze, de-icer and other much needed winter consumables. With wipers, batteries and bulbs also available to order at TPS.Trade, there really is no excuse for garages and their customers not to have vehicles fully prepped for the winter months ahead.
So, with that in mind, let's look at the winter essentials vehicle checklist.
Start with your battery:
When temperatures drop it becomes harder for an engine to turn over and cold weather also has a negative impact on a battery’s power output. If you are running with an older battery and it’s struggling to provide enough power to start your car, then it’s definitely time for a change.
TPS’s Tier 1 battery supplier GS Yuasa’s batteries come equipped with specially-developed internal components, unique design features and industry-leading technologies - all designed to combat the causes of battery failure. It makes Yuasa’s battery range one of the most technologically advanced and best-performing on the market.
Check your anti-freeze:
Anti-freeze, as its name suggests, stops the water in the engine’s cooling system from freezing, and is traditionally available in blue and red options. However, just as engines are evolving in line with new standards and technologies, so too are anti-freeze products.
TPS’s comprehensive anti-freeze range has been expanded to include Green, now generally used for older vehicles, and Purple, used at first fill across the Volkswagen Group.
Green Anti-Freeze offers an enhanced inhibitor package that provides better seal compatibility and corrosion protection, hence its suitability for older vehicles. Purple Anti-Freeze is the latest generation of anti-freeze technology and meets international performance requirements and several OEM specifications for light and heavy-duty usage.
Lighting the way:
During the winter months, it’s important to check and clean lights regularly as dirt can quickly build up, reducing both the effectiveness of the lights and a vehicle’s visibility to other road users. If bulbs are fading or not working at all, then they should be replaced straight away.
One of TPS’s Quantum bulbs suppliers is Ring, a renowned company first formed over 50 years ago to sell bulbs into the aftermarket, whose rigorous testing procedures are equal to those Volkswagen Group apply when manufacturing its Genuine Parts.
With the UK’s only lighting beam lab, Ring batch tests all bulbs to ensure they meet the highest of standards - including measuring eight million points of light to give accurate assessments of performance and longevity for each of their bulb products.
Wiping away the worst of winter:
With winter weather often wet and wild, dirt and salt from the road surface will be drawn to your windscreen, so your wipers will be put to good use. Even if your wipers are in good shape, there’s still a high risk of them smearing grime across the windscreen if your screen wash bottle is running empty.
That’s why it’s important to check that wipers are working effectively and screenwash is topped up throughout the winter months.
