Driving Home for Christmas: The 10-Minute Check Before a Long Trip

For a lot of Letchworth households, Christmas means a long drive: up the A1(M) to family in the north, round the M25 to the in-laws, or across to the coast for a few days. It is also the busiest week of the year for breakdown services, and the reasons are mostly predictable: flat batteries, tyres, and things that were already on their way out before the car was loaded up.

None of these checks take long, and most need nothing more than a torch and ten minutes on the drive.

The ten-minute check

1. Tyres

• Tread. The legal minimum is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre, but grip in the wet and on cold roads falls away well before that. Many manufacturers recommend changing at 3mm. A 20p coin is a quick guide: push it into the main grooves, and if you can see the outer band of the coin, the tread may be close to the legal limit and is worth having checked.
• Pressures. Check them cold, before you set off, and use the "fully laden" figure if the car will be full of people and presents. You will find the figures inside the driver’s door frame, in the fuel filler flap or in the handbook.
• Damage. Look for cuts, bulges or anything stuck in the tread, on the inside edges too.
• The spare. If you have one, check its pressure. If you have a repair kit instead, check it is in the boot and in date.

2. Lights

Walk round the car with the lights on: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights (use a reflection in a window or a helper) and fog lights. December days are short and you will be driving in the dark at both ends of the trip.

3. Fluids

• Engine oil. With the car on level ground and the engine cold, check the dipstick is between the marks. Some modern cars show the level on the dashboard instead.
• Coolant. Check the level in the expansion tank when the engine is cold, never hot. It should be between the min and max marks.
• Screenwash. Fill it with a proper winter screenwash, not water. Water freezes, and a dirty windscreen with low sun on a motorway is a genuine hazard.

4. Wipers

If the blades smear, judder or leave streaks, replace them. It is one of the cheapest things on the car and one of the most important on a wet, dark motorway.

5. Battery

Cold weather is hard on batteries, and a long drive followed by days parked up at someone else’s house is a classic way to find a weak one. If the engine has been slow to turn over on cold mornings, or the battery is more than about five years old, get it tested before you go.

6. Warning lights

If anything has been lit on the dashboard for a while, now is the time to find out what it is, not halfway up the motorway. Our post on the engine management light explains the most common one.

7. Paperwork

Check your MOT and tax are in date and your breakdown cover is active and covers where you are going. If you are not sure when your MOT is due, check it here.

Packing for winter

It is worth keeping a few things in the boot over winter, particularly on longer journeys:

• an ice scraper and de-icer;
• a torch, ideally with spare batteries;
• warm clothes, a blanket and something waterproof;
• a phone charger that works in the car;
• water and a few snacks;
• a high-visibility vest and a warning triangle if you have one.

Do not overload the car. Heavy luggage and a full set of passengers affect how the car brakes and handles, which is another reason to set the tyres to their laden pressures.

On the road

• Leave plenty of time. The days around Christmas are some of the busiest on the roads, and nobody drives well when they are late.
• Clear all the windows properly before you set off, not just a hole in the windscreen, and clear snow off the roof.
• Take a break at least every two hours.
• If you are driving home after a celebration, remember that alcohol can still be in your system the next morning.

When to get a professional check

If you are planning a long trip and the car is due a service, has an advisory from its last MOT, or something just does not feel right, book it in early in December, because the weeks before Christmas fill up quickly. We can check the battery, tyres, brakes, lights, fluids and wipers while it is with us, and our winter car check post has more on getting a car ready for the cold.

Frequently asked questions

What tyre pressure should I use for a full car?

Use the laden figure from the placard in the driver’s door frame, the fuel flap or the handbook. It is usually a little higher than the normal figure, especially at the rear.

How do I know if my battery will last the winter?

A battery test is the only reliable way. Slow starting on cold mornings and a battery more than five years old are the usual warning signs.

Is water OK in the screenwash?

Not in winter. Plain water can freeze in the bottle, the pipes and the jets. Use a screenwash rated for low temperatures.

Get your car ready before Christmas

If you would like us to look the car over before you go, book online or give us a call, and we will check everything on this list and more.

Dom’s Garage Services, 11 Protea Way, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 1JT. Book online or call the workshop on 01462 671753.