How should you prepare your car for autumn ?

Equipment to check

It’s a little-known fact that the changeover to winter time at the end of October, and the weekends that follow, lead to a surge in the number of accidents. The cause : visibility problems in the early morning and early evening. Don’t wait until December to check the fuses, bulbs and headlight lens of your car lights. To see and be seen well, you need to keep your headlights and indicators working efficiently.

The rain, which becomes more frequent from October onwards, also means that you are often using your windscreen wipers. Autumn is the ideal time to change your wipers if they are losing their effectiveness : a rubber blade that is too worn will make noise each time it passes across the windscreen and leave visible marks. Manufacturers recommend changing wiper blades once or twice a year, ideally in early spring and early autumn.

The different air filters on your car also need to be checked or changed. The cabin air filter, which, depending on the model, is located behind the glovebox, on the floor on the passenger side, or directly in the engine compartment under the windscreen wipers, deserves your attention before the autumn, particularly as ventilation will be under greater pressure from the heating system.

The engine air filter, which plays a key role in your car’s performance, is also a vulnerable component. In autumn, it’s particularly stressed, with a lot of debris from dead leaves. In addition to the manufacturer’s recommendations (change every 20,000 km), you should check the part at the beginning and end of the season to ensure it lasts as long as possible.

A good clean is essential

Autumn often means a major change in the atmosphere. The accumulation of dry particles during the warmer seasons, followed by damp elements in autumn, is detrimental to the cleanliness of visibility components, particularly windscreens, mirrors and headlight lenses. As always, whatever the season, prevention is better than cure : home cleaning or a trip to the car wash is essential and should be repeated as often as possible.

Four-season maintenance

The start of a new season means changes to the stresses on the mechanical and electrical elements of your vehicle. Tyres, which ensure the car’s grip on the road, should receive the same care in autumn as they do in spring. Drivers who alternate their sets of tyres throughout the year can switch to their “winter” sets at the start of autumn.

Another vital component is the battery. Besides an annual check-up, it is worth keeping an eye on this electrical part as it loses its efficiency when the temperature changes. Ideally, it should be replaced in early autumn if the old one is two years old.

Maintenance, equipment checks and regular cleaning are the best ways of driving into autumn safely without having to make any major changes. Whatever the season, regularly monitoring your car is the key to peace of mind.