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Getting Your Car Ready for a Somerset Winter

Somerset winters are rarely dramatic, but they are relentless. Think frosty mornings in the Blackdown Hills, standing water on the back lanes, spray on the M5 and the long dark commute home from November onwards. None of it is extreme, but it all adds up. Winter is when small, ignored problems turn into breakdowns.

The good news is that most winter issues can be caught early with a few simple checks. Here's what we recommend at Okee, along with what you can check yourself and when it's worth letting us take a look.

1. Your battery

Cold weather is the number one cause of winter breakdowns. A battery that coped fine in August can struggle on a frosty January morning, because the cold reduces its power just when your engine needs more to start.

Signs your battery is struggling:

• The engine turns over slowly or sounds "lazy" when starting
• Dashboard lights flicker or dim when you start the car
• Your stop-start system has stopped working
• The battery is more than four or five years old

Our advice... Get it tested before the cold sets in. A battery test takes a few minutes and tells you whether it's healthy, on its way out, or ready to let you down. Many modern cars also need the new battery registering or programming to the car, which we handle as standard.

2. Tyres

Your tyres are the only part of the car touching the road, and on wet, leafy or icy Somerset lanes they're doing a lot of work.

Check:

• Tread depth. The legal minimum in the UK is 1.6mm, but grip in the wet drops off well before that. We'd suggest thinking about replacements at around 3mm.
• Pressures. Pressures drop in the cold, so check them more often in winter. You'll find the correct figures in your handbook, inside the fuel flap, or on the driver's door frame.
• Damage. Look for cuts, bulges or cracking on the sidewalls, especially after hitting a pothole.

If you do a lot of rural or hill driving, all-season tyres are worth a conversation. They're a sensible middle ground for our climate.

3. Wheel alignment

Winter means potholes, and potholes mean knocked-out alignment. If your steering wheel sits off-centre, the car pulls to one side, or your tyres are wearing unevenly, your alignment may be out. Left alone, it wears out tyres faster, increase fuel consumption and can affect how the car handles in poor conditions.

On many modern cars, alignment also affects driver assistance systems such as lane keeping, so it's more important than it used to be.

4. Lights

With darker mornings and evenings, you'll be relying on your lights far more. Walk round the car and check:

• Headlights (dipped and main beam)
• Sidelights, brake lights and indicators
• Fog lights
• Number plate lights

Cloudy or yellowed headlight lenses can noticeably reduce how far you can see, so they're worth looking at too.

5. Wipers and screenwash

Winter grime and road spray mean you'll use your wipers constantly. If they smear, judder or leave streaks, replace them. It's a cheap fix that makes a real difference.

Top up your screenwash with a proper winter mix that won't freeze. Plain water can freeze in the bottle and lines, leaving you with nothing when you need it most.

6. Coolant and antifreeze

Coolant protects your engine from freezing in winter and overheating the rest of the year. Check the level is between the minimum and maximum marks (only when the engine is cold), and make sure the mix is right for winter temperatures.

If you're regularly topping it up, there may be a leak somewhere. Get it checked rather than just adding more.

7. Brakes

Wet and icy roads mean longer stopping distances, so your brakes need to be at their best. Watch out for:

• Squealing, grinding or scraping noises
• A soft or spongy brake pedal
• The car pulling to one side when braking
• A brake warning light on the dashboard

Any of these is worth getting looked at promptly.

8. Heating and air conditioning

It might sound odd, but your air con is one of your best friends in winter. It dries the air inside the car and clears a misted windscreen much faster than the heater alone. Run it for ten minutes or so every week, even in winter, to keep the system healthy. If it's not clearing the screen quickly, it may need a recharge or a check-up.

9. Electric and hybrid cars

EVs and hybrids handle winter well, but there are a few things to be aware of:

• Range drops in the cold. That's normal. Batteries are less efficient in low temperatures, and heating the cabin uses energy too.
• Pre-condition while plugged in. Warming the car up while it's still on charge means you start your journey with a warm cabin and a fuller battery.
• The 12V battery still matters. Most EVs and hybrids still have a small 12V battery, and when it fails, the car often won't "wake up" at all. It's well worth testing.
• Inspect your charging cable. Check for damage and keep connectors clean and dry.

If your range has dropped more than you'd expect, or you're seeing charging errors, we can run a proper diagnostic check.

10. Warning lights

Winter has a habit of bringing hidden faults to the surface. If a warning light comes on, don't ignore it and hope it goes away. Some are minor, others aren't, and catching a problem early is almost always cheaper than fixing it after it's caused more damage. We'll investigate it properly and explain clearly what we've found before any work goes ahead.

Keep a winter kit in the boot

Breakdowns are much less stressful when you're prepared. We'd recommend keeping:

• Ice scraper and de-icer
• Torch (with working batteries)
• Warm coat, blanket and gloves
• Phone charger or power bank
• Bottle of water and a snack
• Hi-vis vest
• Jump leads or a portable jump starter
• A small shovel if you live somewhere rural or hilly

And before you set off on frosty mornings, clear all of the snow and ice from your windows, mirrors, lights and roof, not just a small porthole in the windscreen.

Book a winter check at Okee

If you'd rather we did the checking for you, our team in Wellington can look over your car before the worst of the weather arrives. We'll check your battery, tyres, lights, fluids, brakes and more... then give you clear, jargon free advice on anything that needs attention. No pressure, no surprises.

As part of the Bosch Car Service network, we look after all makes and models, from everyday petrol and diesel cars to the latest EVs and hybrids.

Book your winter check today