5 useful car tips for winter

You already know why you shouldn't defrost windows with hot water and how often it makes sense to clean your car in winter? Or is this new territory for you? We have put together 5 tips that will help you in making driving your car during the winter a pleasure.

1. Defrost windows correctly

The fastest way to remove ice from the panes is to use a normal de-icing spray: Simply spray the panes from a distance of approx. 20 cm and they will be ice-free shortly afterwards. You can also use a normal ice scraper. A popular trick is to wash with lukewarm water. Important: Never use warm or hot water on the cold pane, as the tension on the pane increases and the glass can splinter. It is best to pour lukewarm water into a watering can or a large pet bottle and let it slowly flow over the pane. At sub-zero temperatures, you can add a little salt to the water to accelerate the procedure. With a window scraper you can directly dry the ice free pane. An alternative is to use an ice protection film / insulation film. These are available for approx. 9 francs in various online shops.

2. Use windscreen wiper water with antifreeze

Many windscreen cleaners contain antifreeze agents to prevent the windscreen wiper water from freezing at sub-zero temperatures. If you have a Carvolution car, we have already refilled windscreen wiper water with integrated antifreeze when we changed your tyres and your car is ready for winter. If the fill level is low after a while, you can get windscreen cleaner with antifreeze at any petrol station. If you are planning a longer stay in the mountains and are not sure whether you can refill the windscreen wiper water at any time, we recommend that you carry a refill pack in the trunk. Folding the windscreen wipers up overnight will prevent them from freezing to the windscreen.

3. The right winter accessories

In winter we really only need an ice scraper, a small whisk to remove snow and a de-icing spray. In most cases, door de-icing is no longer necessary, as the doors are locked and unlocked by remote control. If you drive into the mountains and don't have an all-wheel drive car, you should carry additional snow chains and possibly a small snow shovel with you to be on the safe side. In our assortment the following vehicles have an all-wheel drive: VW Tiguan, Mercedes A-250, C220d and GLC (all Mercedes models: 4 Matic AMG Line) as well as the Tesla Model 3 Long Range.

4. Regular outside cleaning

Road salt, but also dirt and moisture can cause damage to the car paint and the body. This applies in particular to cars on which the paint is no longer fully intact. The cars of Carvolution are fortunately new or as good as new and therefore the danger for such damages is much smaller. Nevertheless, as a rule of thumb, we recommend to drive to the car wash at least once a month to get a wash, particularly in winter with underbody cleaning. In case of heavy soiling, a short pre-wash with the high pressure cleaner is recommended, so that e.g. pebbles cannot scratch the paint during the wash. Attention: At minus temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius you should avoid washing your car with warm water: The temperature difference of up to 30 degrees Celsius is too large for the cold vehicle and small damages can occur.

5. Order in the interior against fogged up windows

Have you also noticed that during winter the windows are fogged up much more often than in summer? During the journey this can block the view and even become dangerous. The reason for fogged windows is that wet objects such as ski jackets, umbrellas, insulation foil or the whisk you are using are often lying around inside the car and the moisture settles on the inside of the windows. It is best to store the wet objects in a plastic container in the boot. So you can simply empty the collected water if necessary. Switching on the air conditioning also helps to reduce the humidity in the interior. After long journeys, the car should also be well ventilated.

We wish you all a good and safe journey. More information about our cars can be found here. If you have any questions, you can reach us at contact@carvolution.ch, +41 62 531 25 25 or simply use our live chat.