Keeping Your Car Safe

It's coming up to the time of year when it's darker longer, giving thieves more opportunities to steal cars. The Home Office states that most vehicle crime is opportunistic, and therefore preventable. We have come up with a few tips to help you keep your car safe.

Here are a few simple ways to deter thieves;

1) It sounds obvious but don't leave your car unlocked if you're just at the petrol station - your insurers may not pay up if your car is stolen.

2) Don't leave the ignition key in. It doesn't matter if your car is in the garage or you're just nipping indoors for a moment, remember to remove those keys!

3) Don't leave valuables visible, or in the glove box for that matter. Lock them in the boot in a suitable safe box or take them with you. Vehicle documents should never be left in the car as a thief can use them to sell the car.

4) Park smart. Choose a car park with an attendant and go for a space in a busy part. If you're parking after dark, opt for the most well lit area you can find.

5) Have an electronic immobilizer fitted. These stop the engine from being started. Mechanical devices, such as steering wheel and gear lever locks, are simple, high visibility deterrents.

6) Fit an alarm. These add another layer of protection - a good deterrent, especially for on street parking.

7) Fit a tracker. If your car is your pride and joy, a tracker might put your mind at ease. They're expensive but at least your car can be traced if it is stolen.

Finally, theft of keys is a very common method of stealing cars. Just don't leave them, where thieves can find them!

Winter Motoring

Don't let the changing season catch you out. A few simple checks are all it takes to help you motor safely through the winter...

Tyres

First off think about your wheels. The legal minimum for tyre tread is 1.6mm but when it comes to wet roads in winter a deeper tread of 3mm is better. It copes with the water and can improve emergency stopping distances in the wet. Unless you live in a part of the UK with severe weather and long periods of snow and ice, winter tyres probably aren't a must. Are your tyres feeling a bit flat? Check out AutoUseful’s Motoring Store Tyre Care section for all types of tyre inflators and gauges, and make sure yours are at the right pressure.

Battery

Don't let yours get run down. If you do lots of short journeys first thing on a cold morning, then make sure you do one long journey on a regular basis to charge the battery back up again. The last thing you want is a breakdown in bad weather. And don't think your battery will last forever – the average battery lasts around three or four years. If yours is older, be sure to get it checked as you could be on borrowed time. Give your battery a boost - AutoUseful’s Motoring Store Electrical Accessories section has loads of different battery chargers.

Radiators

Top up your anti-freeze to the level that your manufacturer recommends and also check for any cracks or leaks.

Screen Scene

Check your wipers and screenwash. Your wipers need to be effective for you to have the best possible visibility in rain and snow. A worn or damaged wiper won't be as effective as a new one. Keep your screenwash topped up and change to a winter formula or the recommended concentration for winter so it doesn't freeze in cold weather. And have any chips or cracks in your windscreen repaired promptly before they compromise the life of the screen. You'll find everything you need to keep your windscreen in tip-top condition at AutoUseful’s Motoring Store in the Simply Useful section.

Cambelt

A breakdown due to a broken timing belt can prove costly. As these can just go without warning, it could be a good idea to buy a new one if you've bought a second-hand car. Broken belts can damage the engine but if you get a new one fitted, the cost is pretty low in comparison to the price of sorting out a broken one.

Shock Absorbers

Worn out shock absorbers can be very dangerous in winter. Not only will worn shock absorbers affect your car's ability to brake efficiently and effectively but they'll also have an impact on the steering – obviously this is important all year round but especially so in the challenging weather conditions of winter. And what's worry is that they deteriorate so slowly over time that it can be hard to know what kind of state they're in from how the car's driving. It's better to be safe at this time of year, so book your vehicle in for a service and get them checked out.

Exhausts

Don't forget your exhaust. It works hard all year round and as it's relatively inaccessible can be forgotten. Getting your exhaust checked could even save you money as high emissions could mean that your car fails its MOT.

Bodywork

A cocktail of salt on the roads and dirt can do serious damage to your bodywork. No, it shouldn't affect your driving but if you're planning to sell your car in the future, neglected bodywork will bring the price down. Regular washing sessions and waxing every couple of months will help your bodywork stand up to what winter throws at it. And it will look much better to boot. Keep your pride and joy gleaming with AutoUseful’s Motoring Store Car Cleaning section - there's everything you need this winter, plus some great ideas for Christmas gifts!

Car Covers

Rain, snow, ice, wind and dust – the British climate isn't kind to your car. So it makes sense to protect it with a good quality car cover and shield it from the nastier kinds of weather. Check out AutoUseful’s Motoring Store Car Covers section for a huge variety of covers.

5 Tips for winter motoring

Keep your tank topped up. The unpredictability of winter weather means an accident or unexpected snowfall could delay your journey considerably and you don't want to run out of fuel, too.

Wrap up warm. Carry a coat, hat, gloves and a blanket in the car – remember that footage you always see on the TV of a whole row of cars caught in the snow? That could be you! You never know when and where you could get stuck so even if you're not wearing them that day, keep an old coat in the car just in case.

Spray and scrape. Make sure you have ample de-icer and a good scraper in the car – your cash or credit cards may do in a crisis but there's no substitute for the real thing.

Have a clean windscreen. Low winter sun can be dazzling – add in a greasy or dusty windscreen and your visibility can be severely compromised. If the sun's right in your eyes and you can't see ahead easily, just take it slowly.

Stay mobile. Take your phone with you and make sure it's fully charged. You never know when you'll need it.

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