One of YouTube’s most popular mechanics has urged drivers to make a simple yet incredibly vital check that could help them avoid eye-watering repair bills during the colder months of the year.
As drivers adjust to British Winter Time, featuring darker nights, the following months are set to see temperatures fall, which could harm some common vehicle components.
To help avoid expensive breakdowns, mechanic Scotty Kilmer recently posted a short video in which he suggested drivers open their cars’ bonnets and check any rubber belts.
He advised: “Now, winter frost may look cool, but winter can destroy your car, so here’s what you need to do. Your car’s drive belt, which we used to call the fan belt, is made of rubber.
“If it’s cracked, cold weather can make it break. So, check it, and if it’s all cracked, replace it.”
In the video, Scotty urges drivers to make sure that the fan belt, is not cracking, which could become more brittle and potentially snap when exposed to cold temperatures.
If this occurs, many vital functions on the vehicle will stop working, including the power steering, alternator and water pump, resulting in a car that will be much harder to drive and very quickly stop working.
However, if a vehicle has one, motorists should also check the timing belt for any signs of damage, which can prevent the camshaft and cambelt from becoming out of sync, possibly resulting in owners having to replace the entire engine.
Scotty also recommended that drivers should check the tyre pressures of their vehicles more frequently in autumn and winter, with cold temperatures causing a noticeable reduction.
He added: “Now, when it gets cold, your tyres will start to go flat. It’s pure physics – the colder it is, the lower the pressure goes – so you have to add air when it’s cold.
“So, on a cold morning like today, you should check the tyre pressures and fill them up to the right amount.”
Most motoring experts recommend that drivers check their vehicle’s tyre pressures every two weeks or before a long journey, topping them up to the levels recommended by the manufacturer if necessary.
This can help drivers prevent increasing their vehicle’s rolling resistance, which can cause tyres to wear out faster and heat up, which may lead to a high-speed blowout, putting them and nearby road users at serious risk of injuries.
Keeping the tyre pressures topped up can even help motorists improve their vehicle’s fuel economy. Previous studies have found that a 10 percent reduction in pressure increases consumption by two percent.
