32 departments are on orange alert this Thursday for an episode of snow and ice. Here are some tips to best prepare your vehicle if you have to hit the road.
This is the first winter offensive. 32 departments are classified as orange snow or ice alert this Thursday and the cold is getting worse across a large part of the country. How to properly prepare your vehicle and be sure to see it start tomorrow morning?
Battery, windshield washer, scraper
First essential check: the battery. The ideal is to have your car sleep under cover this evening, but if this is not the case, place a piece of cardboard in front of the grille, to prevent cold air from penetrating (too much) under the hood. If you haven’t driven recently, take your car for a spin tonight to check that the battery is still working. And change it if necessary. Taking a quick trip to the garage to check everything at the first frost can be useful, to also check all the levels.
Another element not to be overlooked: the windshield washer which must be resistant to low temperatures. You can also find a small silicone aerosol can in auto after-sales stores which will make it easier to opening the doors (if you do not have centralized opening).
If you do not want to defrost your vehicle tomorrow morning, it may be interesting to protect your vehicle with a special protective cover, available in specialized stores. Cardboard helps, but when wet it can simply stick to the windshield. A real fake friend. If there is no protection, raise the windshield wipers to avoid them sticking to the windshield. And of course the scraper is a must-have for the season.
Socks in the trunk
If you have to hit the road tomorrow, the ideal is to be able to do so in winter tiresmore suitable thanks to their shapes and flexibility to cooler temperatures. If you don’t have any, a pair of socks in the trunk can be very useful in the event of snow. Install them on the vehicle to start and reach a clear axis. It will then be necessary to remove them, the socks are not made for riding on open roads.
Cautious driving
“It is imperative to check the brakes and lighting,” Hervé Silitti, manager of a Point S automobile center, advises BFMTV. “We drive a lot at night.”
In case of bad weather, a little advice: evaluate your route. Favor the main roads which are the first to be cleared and if possible avoid this long descent or this passage in the forest which can prove difficult.
Even more so if you don’t have winter or all-season tires, drive smoothly and gently. Also increase safety distances in order to have time to react.
Finally, why not place a blanket, a few cereal bars and a thermos with a hot drink in your vehicle. Something to reassure yourself.
