Winter motoring need not be miserable

Press, 17 June 1986, Page 30

Winter motoring need not be miserable

Winter is insidious. It creeps up on everyone — and that includes motorists. That bedraggled individual peering under the bonnet of his car by the roadside, as homegoing traffic streamed through the rain the other evening, probably deserved more consideration than a curt mental dismissal for not taking more care of his car. If only those heading for home and a hot meal had paused to consider

whether they deserved their better luck! In fact, they are the sort of motorists who only take notice when confronted with the harsh reality of the coldest, wettest and most miserable months of the year, and a morning when the car stubbornly refuses to start. It is the battery, of course. But, is it? Switch on the lights. If they are dim or non-existent, the battery may be flat. All the same, it is better to be

sure before jumping to conclusions. Check the connections to the two poles of the battery. Fluffy white corrosion on the terminals may be the trouble. It indicates that they need to be removed, scraped clean, preferably coated with Vaseline, replaced and re-tightened. Then again, the terminals may be loose. This is quite common with the type that have a screw passing through the centre of the terminal

and into the battery post. Maybe a sharp tap with a light hammer will restore the connection. Do not be too violent. A broken terminal or worse, a broken battery post, could cost money. Perhaps the most important thing to remember in winter is that the current taken from the battery in getting one small electric motor to spin the engine with all its moving parts is consider-

able, and the slightest current leakage through a bad connection can have a disastrous effect.

If the battery is flat and there is an alternative battery or a helpful motorist at hand, the car can be started by using a pair of jump leads.

Most service stations sell them and, in fact, they can be just as useful as the spare wheel.

Jump leads are good winter insurance, but they are only a makeshift solution. Unless senility has caught up with it, a battery should not go flat, even in the dead of winter. Obviously, and always assuming the battery is in a good state of health, there is some underlying cause behind its power loss.

That is why it makes sense when you visit your service station or garage to buy those. jump leads to book in your car for a thorough winter check.

Labour charges being what they are these days, the check will not come too cheaply. On the other hand, it would turn out cheaper than a bout of pneumonia or pleurisy or, for that matter, a hernia or strained back.

Also, driving a car that you know is running as it should always does a lot for self-confidence, and this is particularly so in winter.