During the cold and icy months, you could find yourself buried in a snowstorm, stuck in traffic, technology could fail or your car could suffer a breakdown. Therefore, your car accessories need to help you out in any winter situation and work properly when the technology or the power might fail. We have put together the following checklist, featuring 8 tips and tricks to bring you and your vehicle safely through the cold season.
1. Ice Scraper
Be sure to keep this tool within reach. Your ice scraper can all too quickly get misplaced or even lost. It is therefore advisable to always keep the appropriate spare part with this accessory nearby in the winter. With larger cars, a special handle might help you to clear the ice from all corners of the windscreen. As long as no solid layer of ice has formed and you only have to wipe fogged up windows from the inside, you’d best use a leather sponge for this purpose.
2. Hand Broom
With thick snow accumulated on your car, a hand brush might help. In winter, your car accessories should therefore include a simple hand broom for removal of thicker layers of snow from your car. While doing so, don’t forget to clean the parking sensors (both those in the bumpers and those on the fenders) and the reverse camera lens. Beware, however: These parts prove quite delicate and are easy to damage!
3. Weatherproof Clothing
A complete set of winter car accessories shall also include a suitable driver’s outfit. To protect yourself against snowfall or a downpour, you should always keep both an umbrella and a warm cap ready in your vehicle. In addition, a solid pair of gloves will prevent your fingers from getting icy while scraping the ice.
4. Sleeping Bag or Blanket
In case of a breakdown at temperatures below 0 or when you are stuck in traffic for a longer period, your car’s engine should be switched off. However, this also means your car heating is off. So, in addition to other useful winter accessories, a warm blanket or a sleeping bag may prove an inexpensive substitute for heated seats. In this context, however, you may also choose another option: With a parking heater retrofitted, you can warm up the interior as long as the engine is not running.
5. Snow Chains
In some extreme weather conditions and slippery roads, winter tires alone cannot do much. To be on the safe side, you should always keep snow chains in the trunk of your car. For this purpose, you need appropriate winter car accessories including:
- working gloves
- folding spade to shovel your car’s tires free
- jump leads for bridging when the battery fails.
However, before fitting snow chains, please check first whether the existing equipment fits your car’s tires. A basic distinction is made between ring or clip chains, cable chains and quick assembly chains. Find out how to proceed with each of these before putting on and fitting snow chains.
6. Flashlight
In the winter months, your car can easily have a breakdown or you can be forced to mount snow chains in your car in the dark. So, your winter car accessories should also include a light source running on standard batteries for illuminating the relevant area. In such circumstances, a simple flashlight is worth its weight in gold: This allows you to see every corner without overloading the car battery.
7. Windscreen Washer Antifreeze
The more it rains, snows or storms, the easier it is for the car windows to get dirty. In order to keep a clear view even in the cold season, you should add some antifreeze to the windshield washer fluid in winter. Depending on the outside temperature, the following mixing ratios are suitable:
- down to minus 30 degrees centigrade: 100% antifreeze
- down to minus 15 degrees centigrade: two thirds antifreeze
- down to minus 8 degrees centigrade: 50% antifreeze.
Make sure that your car is fully stocked with winter accessories and always keep an extra bottle of antifreeze in the trunk.
8. Door Lock Defroster
Last but not least, there is still one element missing from your winter car check list that does not necessarily belong in the vehicle but rather in your handbag or the pocket of your winter jacket. With vehicles not featuring remote-control central locking, locks may quickly freeze overnight. You can quickly solve this problem by using a door lock defroster. You can use this small bottle costing no more than €5 – not only as a winter car accessory but for any other lock as well.