Winter Car Care Part 2: Driving

Welcome back to the second part of our two-part guide to preparing your Aston Martin for the winter months ahead. This week we’ll be focusing on the best way to keep your Aston in the best condition as you drive it throughout the winter months.

Aston Martins are designed to be driven, and for a lot of owners that doesn’t stop as the weather changes. With some preparation and regular maintenance there’s no reason why you wouldn’t be able to enjoy your Aston throughout the winter months and into next year. Follow the tips in our guide to keep your Aston Martin in top condition this winter.

Tyres

As the only contact patch between your car and the road, the type and condition of your tyres are some of the most important aspects of winter driving. Winter tyres are a worthwhile investment for owners wanting to drive their car regularly through the winter months. Designed to work at lower temperatures, winter tyres offer higher levels of grip in colder conditions and are more adept at dealing with snow build up. By using winter tyres, your summer tyres can be kept for the warm, dry conditions where they can have the most benefit.

While winter tyres offer the best levels of grip throughout the winter, your normally-fitted tyres could still get the job done. Ensure you have good levels of tread depth left to ensure snow and water are displaced properly; while the legal minimum is 1.6mm, the advisable depth for winter driving is 3mm or more.

Fluids

It’s best to do a thorough fluid check while preparing for the winter, ensuring everything is topped up. You’ll go through screenwash much quicker, and a more concentrated solution will deal with the increased grime better. Traffic is also likely to be worse, so prepare for long delays and diversions by ensuring a safety margin of fuel for long journeys. 

With dropping temperatures it’s important to keep on top of coolant levels. Inappropriate coolant may not have to required antifreeze properties, so it’s always best to used approved coolant to avoid damage to your engine in cold temperatures.

Cleaning

The wet, cold weather means your Aston Martin will get dirtier, faster. There are a range of benefits to keeping your car clean in those conditions, not least that the salt on the roads can cause serious corrosion issues with any car when left untreated. Underside protection, such as Waxoyl, can be easily applied by a specialist garage such as Aston Workshop and gives lasting protection. The wet conditions will also cause more grit and salt to come into contact with the paint surface which could cause a dulling of the paint and even small scratches. 

Clean your Aston regularly to avoid these issues. Professional car detailers use a range of techniques and products to protect cars for the winter, many of which can be used at home. Products such as pre-wash solutions and foaming car shampoos breakdown and lift grime from the surface of the car, which combined with using a microfibre cloth or mitt avoids causing scratches to the paintwork during cleaning. For extra protection use a wax or hydrophobic coating to keep your car cleaner for longer. 

Final Tips

Your windscreen wipers will get far more use during the winter, so check their condition and consider upgrading if needed. As the sun sits lower in the sky having easy access to a pair of sunglasses will also keep visibility at a maximum. A quick check that all lights are in full working order is advisable to keep you as safe as possible during the winter. Electrical issues of any kind are more likely in the winter, with the cold temperatures damaging to batteries. Having your battery checked by a specialist can help avoid any unexpected problems.

In case the worst should happen, and you have an issue with your car while driving (the RAC recorded its highest number of callouts in a single day last December) make sure you always carry a few bare essentials such as a coat and hi-visibility vest to prepare for long waits by the side of the road.

Aston Workshop are always on hand to provide honest, obligation free advice regarding winter driving of your heritage or modern Aston Martin. Give us a call on +44 (0) 1207 268 932 or email us at astonworkshop@aston.co.uk with any questions you may have or to book in for a Pre-Winter check; Neil or Chris in our workshop will be happy to help.