Why split car care by season
UK weather puts different stress on a car at different times of year. Winter pulls on the battery and tyres. Summer pulls on the cooling system and aircon. Autumn pulls on the lights and wipers as the days shorten. Spreading checks across the year catches issues before they become breakdowns, and matches the way most cars actually wear.
This guide covers what to check in each season. Most items are quick visual checks you can do at home, with a flag for what needs a garage.
Spring checks
Spring is the recovery season after winter. Salt, cold and short trips will have left their mark.
- Underbody and wheel arches: rinse off road salt to slow corrosion.
- Tyres: check tread depth (UK legal minimum is 1.6mm) and pressures. Cold winter air leaves tyres under-inflated as the temperature rises.
- Wiper blades: winter ice tears the rubber edge. Replace if smearing or juddering.
- Battery: winter starts are hard on the battery. Get it tested if the engine has been cranking slowly.
- Air conditioning: run it for 10 minutes to keep the seals and refrigerant moving before summer demand kicks in.
Summer checks
Summer is the cooling season. Heat plus motorway miles plus aircon at full tilt is the combination that finds weak points.
- Coolant level and colour: a low or rust-coloured coolant is a flag for the cooling system.
- Aircon performance: if the air is no longer cold, the refrigerant has dropped. Aircon regas restores it.
- Tyre pressures: long journeys with luggage need pressures set for a loaded car (your driver-door sticker lists both empty and loaded values).
- Engine oil level: check on a level surface with the engine cool. Heat speeds oil consumption on older engines.
- Windscreen and washer fluid: insects and pollen leave a film that wipers alone do not clear.
Autumn checks
Days shorten, temperatures drop and rain replaces dry roads. Visibility and stopping distance matter more.
- Lights: walk around the car with the lights on and check every bulb, including indicators, brake lights and number plate lights.
- Wiper blades and washer fluid: autumn rain finds tired wipers fast.
- Tyre tread: wet road braking falls off sharply below 3mm of tread, well before the 1.6mm legal limit.
- Heater and demister: run the heater on full and check the rear demister works. A foggy windscreen at 6pm in November is preventable.
- Battery: a marginal battery makes it through summer but fails on the first cold November morning. Test before the cold sets in.
Winter checks
Winter is the season cars fail. Cold, salt and short trips combine.
- Battery: the biggest single cause of winter breakdowns. Have it load-tested if it is over 4 years old.
- Antifreeze: coolant should be a 50/50 mix. Garage testing confirms freeze protection.
- Tyres: consider all-season or winter tyres if you regularly drive in icy conditions.
- Lights and visibility: headlight lenses cloud over time and lose brightness. A restoration or replacement helps.
- Emergency kit: de-icer, scraper, blanket, hi-vis, phone charger, jump pack.
When to book a seasonal service
Most of the checks above are visual or sensory. They flag what needs attention, not what needs fixing. A seasonal service at a garage covers the items you cannot do at home: pressure-tested coolant, brake fluid moisture, battery load test, full brake inspection, and dashboard fault code scans.
Book a seasonal car service in Worthing, or read more: