#11: Driving in winter conditions

Steve talks about driving in wintery and snow conditions.

Andy: Hello everyone, it’s Passionate About Cars. We woke up this morning to thick snow, well, I mean, for Brighton, it’s thick snow, three inches and I’m sitting in the main lobby, the main area where customers come at First Class Garage and Steve’s manning the lobby. Are you short of staff this morning Steve?

Steve: Yes, I’m actually playing secretary as well today. The secretary’s on two days’ holiday, she’s back in on Monday, today being Friday. So I’m sort of manning the front desk as well as everything else. A general dogsbody, that’s me.

We’ve had a fair bit of snow overnight. I live just on the outskirts in Woodingdean and as always out there it does tend to get a little bit worse. We’ve probably had about sort of five or six inches of snow settling on the ground overnight in Woodingdean which has made it difficult to get out.

Public transport, you know, buses not running. I came in from Woodingdean this morning and picked four women up on the way in actually this morning, like all walking to work along the Warren Road and it was still snowing quite heavily. It was a bit breezy out there and all the women said that it’s a bit of a first, they wouldn’t normally step into a motor with a stranger. So obviously I couldn’t sort of encourage people to do that but the conditions were such that, you know, it’s just I’m coming that way and I’ve got the benefit of a four wheel drive for the workshop so it just made sense rather than see them struggling on foot to work.

Andy: Did you see any good examples of interesting snow driving on the way Steve?

Steve: Yes, they’re out there. The sort of people that are really not sure when it comes to these sort of conditions should stay at home. They ought never ever to get behind the wheel. If they’re not sure about the conditions, stay away from the wheel.

One of the big problems you get is you’ve got four wheel drive vehicles out there that do find it a lot easier to get through these conditions but then you’ll always come across the person that doesn’t understand the conditions, will drive at 2, 3, 4mph and constantly get stuck. Because you just need to keep momentum going, you need to just let the engine take it and you see people, they’ll get up to 5mph so they’re dabbing the brakes. Not really the thing to do. So if you’re not really sure, obviously the best advice is to stay at home, stay out of the conditions and you don’t have to drive, again, stay out of the conditions.

It’s only if you really have to drive then if you don’t have a lot of alternative but to venture out then obviously you don’t have much alternative, it’s as simple as that. Particularly if you’re living in the outer areas or if you know a neighbour who’s got a four wheel drive, you can cadge a lift with someone, then that’s definitely the way to go.

But, yes, there’s more forecast for the weekend and although it’s nice and blue sky and bright out there at the moment, it is still hovering around freezing. And I’ve noticed one of the big problems we’ve got, where the snow’s packing down and because the temperatures are so low, we’ve got a lot of solid ice forming underneath. So, until the gritters get out there, it’s not a good idea to be on the road in fairness.

We’ve had two of the guys from the workshop that live in the outer areas, haven’t made it in this morning. They’ve phoned in, can’t get in but likewise we’ve had customers that again, whose cars are booked in, are not coming in. Not that we’re expecting too many. We have had some come in and we’ll continue to get people coming in with the non-start problems, the bad starting and then after the weekend we’ll probably get the run of collision damage to vehicles where people have just lost it on ice. That’s the normal sort of pattern that we get, so yes, it’s sort of mixed feelings about the conditions really.

The one thing I do find nowadays, a lot of the driving now does come down to commonsense and a lot of people seem to lack a bit of commonsense when they’re driving.

Andy: So shall we have a look on the shop floor then Steve?

Steve: Yes, we’ll have a wander round the shop to see what’s going on.

Andy: So here we are in the garage.

Steve: At the moment, we’ve got a fair bit of work sitting here. We’ve got one or two problematic jobs. I’ve got one in, it’s the Kia at the end there, it’s a Kia Sorento that’s come in for a noise but of course I can’t get out and road test it and have a listen to the noise, so we don’t know quite what the noise is or where it’s coming from but once the temperature picks up and the roads clear a bit, we can get it out and have a listen to it. But it’s noise off the back end, it’s just an 06 one.

Andy: A bearing noise or something?

Steve: I really don’t know, I mean people come in with these weird descriptions and we’ve got to sort of decipher them. The easiest thing is to obviously get the person in the car, take them out and let them point the noise out because in the past we’ve had fixed noises that don’t bother people. You know, we road test listening for a noise, repair that and then when they pick the car up they say that the noise is still there and you say “Well, we’ve fixed it.” “Oh no, don’t worry about that noise, I know that, that’s been there for ages, it’s the other noise.” So I think well… . So it’s a lot easier if we can get the customer to take us out and just point the noise out and say it’s that noise rather than that noise.

So yes, that’s one thing but unfortunately this guy dropped the car off this morning and he had to shoot off before we could actually get him in the car and go round the block, not that it would have been easy, you know, 5mph trying to listen to a noise. We’ve got a Vectra over there that’s got a problem.

This is a 53 plate Vectra we recovered a week ago. Auto gearbox problem, had no drive, put another gearbox in their customer supplied, a second hand unit, not recommended, we don’t recommend second hand units, but I guess again with the economic climate and everything, people’s budgets.

This particular one though, we’ve done that, put another gearbox in but it’s also losing power steering now. This is something totally unrelated and it appears to be a voltage problem. We’ve just sort of checked out the car. The voltage is sort of dropping away from 14 volts when it’s running, as soon as you start putting things on it’s dropping away to 12 volts. That in turn is causing problems. With the systems nowadays when you get a little bit of a voltage drop, it does actually flag up various sort of problems and the power steering which is electronic on that is just stopping working, it’s just failing to work.

Andy: When you say it’s electronic, does it mean that the actual power for the steering is from electricity or the sensing is electronic.

Steve: No, well they do have, call cars nowadays have got electronic sensors everywhere on them. This particular one has got a pump, an electronic pump which is fitted underneath the offside wheel arch and it’s got a reservoir underneath there, again that you can’t get to so when it comes to topping it up it makes it a bit more difficult and the pipes then run back to the power steering rack itself.

The rack is fairly conventional, unlike the old cars, they used to have mechanical pumps fitted to the engines, anything mechanical you can see what’s going on. When it’s electronic it’s a little bit more difficult to see. You’ve got to start checking for power feeds, for earth feeds and when you get these sort of cars here which have got like these electronic systems.

All these systems talk to each other via what they call a CAN Bus sort of set up and if you get a problem in one system, that in turn can upset what happens on another system and on another system. So you really have to get into it by way of diagnostic equipment and basically download any sort of faults that may be in any of the systems, clear them out or repair them because they could be causing faults in other parts of the car. It’s a… – I don’t know whether… – it’s called progress, I don’t know if it is so much in the way of progress really.

Andy: It sounds like cars are becoming PCs on wheels.

Steve: Oh, without a doubt. We’ve mentioned in previous episodes about ECUs and it’s not unheard of for cars to have 15, 20 even, more than 20 ECUs on it that each ECU, which is a like a little computer, runs various systems and on a lot of cars all these computers talk to each other and if there’s a little bit of a hiccup anywhere in the system then it’s a breakdown in communication. So things then stop working and we start getting weird and wonderful faults. We’ve then got to try and decipher from the various fault codes that we get where the fault is likely to lie. Very, very weird, very strange. I think I’ve mentioned before about a rain sensor on a Clio…

Andy: Making the windows go up and down wasn’t it?

Steve: No, no. That was on a Galaxy. No, this was on a Clio, we had an engine management light come up and it did turn out that it was the rain sensor on the windscreen and the guy had had the windscreen replaced and there had been a problem with the connection. I think they’d either trapped the wire, the windscreen company had trapped the wire or whatever but that in turn brought an engine management light up. So, you know, it’s a case of one system talking to another or not or giving wrong information or not and so it is, yes, it’s becoming more and more difficult and…

Andy: It does remind me of 2001 a bit, “I’m sorry Dave, there’s too much petrol going into the windscreen, I can’t help”.

Steve: It is a little bit like that, yes. As I said, some of these faults, are just, just really, really sort of weird. But there you go, I mean this is technology as they call it.

Andy: Anything else happening on the shop floor? It doesn’t seem madly busy here at the moment.

Steve: No, no it’s not, because of the weather. As I say, two of the guys have not made it in today along with probably, I think we’ve had about six, seven or eight jobs as of yet haven’t turned up. They’ll probably all turn up lunchtime once the roads clear a bit and expect them all to be ready for tonight. I won’t happen.

Andy: Are many of your suppliers affected by the weather?

Steve: Yes, there is. We were expecting a part here for a customer’s car. He’s going away on Tuesday, the part should have been here today. We spoke to the supplier this morning and they’re now talking about Monday. That’s now going to cut it extremely fine for us to get the guy’s car repaired and for him to use on Tuesday to go away and so not a lot you can do about it. We are just currently seeing if we can get anything else a little bit more local but, you know, we won’t hold our breath. Funny enough it’s a power steering problem as well.

Andy: Really?

Steve: Yes. That one’s on a Berlingo.

Andy: Don’t tell me, it’s because the exhaust sensor won’t talk to the windscreen and…

Steve: No, no, no, this one is just a mechanical pump and it packed up. The guy was up in London and he’s had to get recovered back so we’ve got that to do but he’s fretting. He’s an old chap, an old-standing customer, been with us many years but he does worry and he does fret and he’s fretting big time at the minute.

Andy: Right. Just to finish off Steve, I thought we’d do a few quick motoring tips for winter. I know we’ve done this before but it’s always worth covering, especially driving in the snow tips.

Steve: Well, as we said earlier on, if you don’t have to drive, then don’t first of all, that’s the biggest tip. If you do have to drive, plenty of time and another thing, if your car is covered in snow, don’t just clear the windscreen, clear the snow off the bonnet, clear the snow off the roof because when you stop it slides forward, down on the screen, can’t see.

On the bonnet it’s constantly sort of blowing up onto the screen, can’t see. Side windows, you need to be able to see out of the side windows. A bit like everything really, you need to have as good a visibility as you can get so make sure your windows are clear and just knock that 6 inches of snow off the bonnet. Trying to look over a large sort of accumulation of snow on a bonnet is not easy.

Andy: I did see a car this morning that did look very much like a Christmas log on wheels. I almost felt like putting a Santa Claus on a Christmas tree on top!

Steve: Yes, there was an awful lot. I mean I passed a few this morning coming in where they’ve literally just cleared with the wipers, you know, they’ve got in the car, cleared with the wipers so you’ve got a couple of like peep holes which apart from anything else is actually illegal. Peep hole driving is illegal. So make sure your windows are clear, make sure your lights and everything are working.

Obviously your tyres, you need to have decent tyres for grit and traction and just all your manoeuvring, just take that a little bit steadier, you know, no sudden movements, no sudden acceleration, no sudden braking. If you do happen to lock the wheels up then come off the brake, dab the brakes. This is basically what ABS does a lot faster than we can but if you do feel that your wheels are locked up, come off the brake. Because if you’ve got a wheel that’s locked up, you have no control over it.

So, a bit like turning, when you’re cornering, if you turn the wheel, you find yourself ploughing straight on. You’ve got no control on the car so like any sort of a skid, turn into it, just turn into the skid but if you take things steady, give yourself plenty of time with your manoeuvres then you shouldn’t really get yourself into that sort of situation. So it’s all about minimising risks.

Obviously anti-freeze, you need to make sure you’ve got good strength anti-freeze at the moment. Windscreen washers, a lot of people put in washing up liquid into their… all that tends to do is react to whatever is in there and it congeals so it tends to block the jets, blocks the pipes, blocks the pumps and we end up having to clean out the pipeworks, the pumps and everything because it’s full of like a jelly sort of content in the bottom of the washer bottle. So use a recognised screen wash additive, that’s also got anti-freeze in it so it stops it from freezing which is going to be extremely useful once the old grit on the roads… because again, it’s that sort of thing.

It’s always a good idea as well to give the car a bit of a clean-off more regularly during these sort of conditions when the salt’s out there, particularly under wheel arches because the salt, as we all know, salt, metal equals rust. So give it a good clean-off and again in these sort of conditions it’s always worth carrying warm coats, gloves, hats, anything in the car because you never know if you’re going to get caught out, get stuck in the car and it’s no good sitting in there freezing your conkers off!

Just throw something on the back seat, that sort of thing. Carry a blanket, the old sort of car blankets that we used to see on the back shelves of the older cars, anything like that, just something to sort of help you keep warm. So it’s a little bit of dress for the occasion, be sensible, commonsense, employ commonsense. That’s mostly what winter motoring is all about.

Andy: Excellent. Well Steve Kennard of First Class Garage, Kemptown, Brighton, UK. Thank you very much indeed.

Steve: Okay, cheers Andy.

WINTER MOTORING TIPS

Tyres

The legal minimum of 1.6mm of tread is less than twice the thickness of a CD but during the winter a minimum of 3mm (around 3 CDs) is essential because the deeper tread will be more effective at clearing water.

Batteries

Modern batteries have many advantages, but if allowed to discharge, they will take a long time to recharge fully – they suffer at this time of year particularly in cars that do short journeys on cold mornings. You’ll either need to make a regular long journey with minimal use of the car’s electrical items or arrange to trickle–charge the battery.

Engine

Modern engines don’t need tucking–up with a blanket on cold nights but it can help if it’s an old car. Make sure you hang something from the steering wheel to remind you, though – a call to the fire brigade isn’t the ideal start to the day!

Depress the clutch when starting a cold engine – this disconnects the engine from the gearbox so there’s less drag.

Screenwash

Keep it topped up and use a proper additive at the right concentration – don’t use washing up liquid though as it will foam and turn to jelly and doesn’t have the same low freezing point. Many garages sell sachets or small bottles of screenwash for pennies.

Bodywork

Wash the car frequently to get rid of the salt and dirt that builds up over the winter. Check for stone chips too as rust forms very quickly in the cold, damp weather.

Replace any missing wheel trims promptly to minimise corrosion to the wheel studs, which can seize, making removal of the wheel even more difficult.

Fuel

Keep your car fairly full in the cold months, as you never know when you might get caught up in an accident or foul weather. At least you’ll be able to run the engine and keep warm but you must make sure the exhaust’s clear of snow otherwise fumes can get into the car.

Windows

To keep the windscreen from misting up, soak a cloth in pure washing up liquid then let it dry. Now wipe this cloth on the inside of the windows and it will stop them misting up – go on, try it in the bathroom, it works!

If your windows have misted up, use the air–con as well as the heater – it’s not just for summer and helps to dry the air.

Don’t use water to defrost the windows – hot water can crack the screen and will just re–freeze as it cools, either on the screen or on the ground where you’re standing, which could have painful consequences! Thinking about frosty mornings, a squirt of WD40 in the locks will stop them freezing.

Before setting out

Many view their car as their coat and therefore, don’t think to carry enough outer clothing. Take a warm coat, gloves and hat in case the weather or the car catches you out.

Always carry a fully–charged mobile and throw some old bits of carpet in the boot and a shovel to clear snow, in case you get stuck.

On the road

On colder days be particularly careful on tree–lined roads – the trees prevent the sun’s warmth from reaching the road, which may still be icy when all around has thawed.

In fog, drive with the window down and the radio off – often you can hear problems like cars ahead going over bumps at low speed before you see them.

On snow and ice just do everything very slowly because it can go wrong very quickly.

Check your heater and Aircon system

- Even in winter use your aircon, no, best set on warm air! Try it, it really does clear the screens faster.
DRIVING TIPS

Driving in fog

- Dip your headlights (full beam will glare back at you and other drivers). Only use fog lights if there is less than 100m visibility. Drive slowly – you don’t know what’s on the other side of the fog.
Driving in heavy rain

- Driving on a wet road can cause ‘aquaplaning’, where the car slides on a thin layer of water. Don’t steer or brake suddenly – simply take your foot off the accelerator and continue as normal once the tyres regain traction.

Driving in snow

- Wheel spin in snow means you’re too heavy with the accelerator. Start off in second gear and push the accelerator gently. In general you should drive more slowly and in a lower gear than you would normally.
Engine braking

- Engage a lower gear before descending a hill to slow down. Applying brakes may cause skidding.
What to do when you skid

- Don’t panic and don’t brake (you’ll make the skid worse). Push the clutch. Steer towards the skid. When the car straightens continue as normal.
Stopping distances

- If there’s ice on the road, braking distances can be magnified by a factor of 10. Don’t drive too close to the car in front and slow down gradually for junctions. You don’t want to brake, skid and career through a T-junction.
BE PREPARED

Carry a high-visibility vest

- A quilted fluorescent jacket will help you be seen if you breakdown and keep you warm as you sit on the M25 embankment !
Don’t forget your phone and in car charger

- You can’t call the 1st Class Garage emergency services without a working phone.
Check weather forecasts

- Forewarned is forearmed. Avoid driving in extreme weather if you can possibly help it. It will save your no claims bonus!
Carry an emergency kit

- A shovel for clearing snow, an ice-scraper for clearing your windscreen, a pair of Wellington boots, a first aid kit, a blanket and a torch are essential items especially on longer journeys.
DON

’T NEGLECT YOUR CAR THIS WINTER, IT MAY END UP NEGLECTING YOU !!