Be Excellent To Each Other

This country is still shit when it gets over an inch of snow, for no reason that I can figure out.

So, when you get stranded in the snow not because you can't get up a tiny hill, but because the cretins in front of you can't, here is what you'd like to have:
(In all seriousness, it really is a good idea to have all of these things in your car in winter, as you never know when you or someone else on the road might need them)

Bear in mind that this isn't a list of stuff to do when you notice it's snowing in the morning, you should do it around mid-November.

• Check your antifreeze. Testers can be purchased from Halfords or similar, or you can get it done at the same time as you...
• Check your battery. Again, you can buy testers, or go to a garage. If your battery is going to fail, it's likely to fail in the winter
• Check all the other fluids in the car (brake fluid, oil, transmission fluid if you have an auto, water levels)
• Check the tread on your tyres. If they're getting close to the limit, get them replaced
• Go to Homebase and pick up a bag or two of rock salt, and put them in your garage. They're around £5, and you won't be able to buy them for love or money once the snow hits
• If you live in Scotland or Northern England and always get lots of snow, it might be worth getting a set of snow chains, and now is the time to buy them. You only need two for a two-wheel drive car, or four for a 4x4
• Make sure you know where your towing eye is, and if it needs something screwed into it to make it work make sure that is in your car. Give it a try straight away so you know it works and you know how to work it - you don't want to be doing it in a foot of snow for the first time
• Make sure you have all of the following in your car:
  
  • A blanket for each person in the car
  • A can of de-icer
  • A car charger for your mobile
  • Some chocolate bars
  • Spare windscreen washer
  • Bottles of water
  • A fold-up spade (here's a cheap one)
  • A gallon of whatever fuel your car needs
  • A book for while you're waiting (and maybe some toys if you have kiddies)
• You really should have a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, set of jump leads and a florescent jacket/vest in your car all your round.

If you have a 4x4 you can add a tow rope to that list, for dragging lesser cars around and feeling butch The type you can get from petrol stations will do, but if you get a good kinetic strap you'll be able to recover lorries buses, too.
You might also want to consider joining your local 4x4 Response team. In bad weather they'll ask you to help out with all sorts of things, from delivering water to acting as an emergency ambulance.
However: VERY IMPORTANT: Your 4x4 can go forward in the snow more effectively than other cars, but that doesn't mean it's any better at stopping or going around corners, so be careful.

If you do get stranded in the snow, get all your stuff out of the boot and have a look around for other people who are also stranded. Share cars with each other, running the engine for five minutes with the heaters on full every half hour or so (or however long it takes the car to get cold).

Get a can of WD-40 and wipe it around your door seals - this will stop it freezing shut.

Finally, be a member of the AA. It costs £28 for a whole year, which is a proper no-brainer. It's even worth considering if you don't have a car, but are regularly a passenger in one.

Is WD40 ok to use on rubber door seals?

This year I'll be using WH40k on my door seals.

Yeah. You can use Vaseline if you're scared, but I'd be shocked if WD-40 caused any damage.

This advice can also be used in various other situations.

I thought all petroleum based things sort of attacked rubber. Unless it's some particular type of rubber that's not susceptible.

BRING IT ON!




I'm going to get stuck now aren't I?

If you were dunking it in a vat of the stuff for a day or so then it might be something to think about, but it's not potent enough to melt through it, Alien-style.

you posted this about 2 weeks too late by your own reckoning.

Important point - If your car requires a towing eye adaptor, make sure it's in the car and you know where it is.

If you have a rear wheel drive sports car, with wide low profile tyres, take the bus.

I wasn't imagining that it would, rather that it might just make it all perish a lot sooner than it would if you used silicon spray or some such.

I don't disagree, and it's a fair point. I figure the chances of having WD-40 are a lot higher than having silicon spray (or wanting to smear Vaseline all over their car ).


SHUT UP, THAT'S WHY.


Make sure you read the "very important" bit for 4x4s.

Great point - also make sure you know where you're meant to put it.

[edit]Hat, etc.

Great advice, as always. Thanks Grim...

Make sure you follow it - I'm coming round to check this year!

I melted part of our car with a magic tree

After this incident, Christmas was never quite the same in Mimi's house.

Yes. Stopping doesn't improve. Just getting started + traction.

I'm not buying a tow rope though. My cars for driving, it isn't a tractor (no matter what it sounds like on cold mornings).

Just took out Green flag rescue cover, £19 for the year with £5 back from quidco (maybe)

I have Green Flag and will probably not be renewing. Mrs Chinny had a flat on a busy London road late at night and was unable to change the wheel. Green Flag didn't exactly endear themselves to her on the phone and rocked up after about an hour. I say Green Flag rocked up, what I mean is they sent "Ron's Backstreet Garage" to the scene.

They got the spare on but wanted to pump up the existing tyre and use that instead as they "could see nothing wrong". Thankfully she insisted on the emergency spare because when I inspected the wheel on her return it was pissing air everywhere from the sidewall and wouldn't have stayed up for 10 minutes.

Next year I suspect I'll be joining the AA.

Bumpity bump - a bit late this year.

You should have already done everything in this post: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9138

I've got everything together, but I don't have a car. Should I break into someone else's car and put it all in there?

I put winter tyres on the M5 a couple of weeks ago, which unfortunately wiped out the budget for anything else. I can't even afford to eat now.

You can put it in mine. I only have the deicer.

Thanks Grim...
Reposted to sinister Facebook, with a pic of Mimi which I can't seem to change on the mobile version.

I have winter tyres on the front of the subaru.

It's to remind you to take your knitting for both warmth, entertainment and two handy pointy sticks.

You should put them on the back as well otherwise they're nowhere near as effective.

Shouldn't they be on the wheels?

The wife has a thing about jaywalkers right now. It's best this way.

I'm being a good new driver and gathering together all the stuff on the list. So far, I have de-icer (well, Andy had that already), a shovel, a petrol can, a torch, warning triangle, window wash stuff and a charger.

Lidl have a few things on offer from Monday that I might pick up - antifreeze tester thingy, first aid kit for a fiver, and a car cover. They also have snow chains for £20, but I'll not need those. And Homebase have rock salt in at the moment - will get Andy to get that as it's heavy.

Of course, as a new driver, if it does snow, chances of me actually driving in it are slim!

Get blankets, water and some biscuit bars, especially if you've got Onora.

Yup! On the list. Also keeping an eye out for some reflective vests. £5 each at Halfords seems excessive. I reckon I'll get a better deal on Amazon.

I think we picked our a up from Aldi or lidl.

It's still over 8C early morning/late evening.

Winter is dead, long live autumn!

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