10 Tips for Preparing Your Van for Winter
With our top ten tips to help get your van ready for winter, there’s no need to fear the frost.
- November is fast approaching, and that means winter isn’t too far behind.
- As we all know, conditions can change dramatically during the winter months – so you should be changing your routine to suit.
- Luckily, there are a number of things you can do and products you can buy to help you mitigate the effects of winter on your van.
Table of Contents
1. Invest in cold-weather tyres for your van
2. Use winter screen wash on your van
4. Ice scrapers and screen covers
5. Pack spare clothes in your van
6. Change your windscreen wipers
8. Make sure your van has breakdown cover
10. Give your van a health check
11. Drive your business forward with Vansdirect
If you’ve read our guide to winter driving for van drivers, you’ll know there’s a lot to remember when braving the winter chill.
But what about when it comes to preparing your van for the task? Read our top ten tips for all you need to know.
1. Invest in cold-weather tyres for your van
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that winter tyres are only for snowy conditions. Winter tyres offer many benefits - no matter if the weather is damp, wet, or dry.
They’re made of a softer compound than a regular tyre, which grips the road surface better in colder temperatures. Whereas a standard tyre becomes hard, offering less traction.
Winter tyres can also help in rural areas, providing enhanced traction and handling on slopes and bends.
Whichever tyres you have, you’ll need to make sure these have plenty of tread depth remaining. Anything under 1.6mm is illegal – not to mention dangerous. For each tyre found below the limit, you could be fined £2,500 and receive three penalty points on your licence.
2. Use winter screen wash on your van
“But I have screen wash. What do I need ‘winter screen wash’ for?” Because there are different substances on the roads during winter like grit which can get stuck to your windscreen. It’s also a good idea to carry a spare bottle. You know what we’re talking about – who hasn’t noticed a really grimy winter windscreen, and tried to clean it only to find you’ve run out of screen wash?
3. Buy a boot shovel
Getting stranded or stuck is every motorist’s nightmare. It’s even worse when it happens in the middle of nowhere. Be proactive and think ahead – it’s a no-brainer. Throw a few extra ‘contingency’ tools in the back of your van.
Keeping a shovel in the back is easy – it won’t take up valuable load space, and you can even find ones purpose-built for removing snow and ice.
4. Ice scrapers and screen covers
An ice scraper is an absolute must in the winter months. In fact, you probably have one in your van at all times. What a lot of people overlook is a screen cover. Ever tried to scrape off frosty ice? It’s not much fun. A screen cover is designed to prevent frost from gathering on the ice on your windscreen, which eliminates the problem.
5. Pack spare clothes in your van
Again, this one is easy to overlook – but it’s worth keeping a spare coat or jacket in the back of your van at the very least. If you break down or get stranded, it’ll be much less painful if you can keep yourself warm.
6. Change your windscreen wipers
Winter screen wash is nothing without high-quality windscreen wipers! During the winter, you can expect more sleet, snow, and rain showers – meaning you’ll need a good set of wipers to keep your windscreen clear.
Our partners at Wiper Blades offer all the brands you know and love like BOSCH, MICHELIN, Lucas and Valeo – at a fantastic price! You can even buy multi-packs if you want to replace all your wipers in one go and save a little extra.
If you notice a juddering or squeaking sound, or your wipers leave streaks and smears on your windscreen, it’s time for a replacement.
7. Pack an emergency kit for your van
Keeping an emergency kit with some essentials in the boot of your van can be a lifesaver if you end up getting stranded in wintry weather. Here’s some things you may want to include:
- A high-vis jacket
- Snow shovel
- First aid kit
- Hazard warning triangle
- Jump leads
- A torch
- Warm clothing
- Portable phone charger
- Extra screen wash and de-icer
- An ice scraper
- Bottled water
- Snacks
The equipment will come in handy if you think you can get moving yourself again. Plus, the spare warm clothes and snacks will keep you comfortable if you have to wait for recovery.
8. Make sure your van has breakdown cover
It goes without saying that breakdown cover is one of the most important things you’ll need when driving your van this winter.
If you break down on the road, you’ll have peace of mind knowing help is never too far away. You can also save some money too, as independent rescue companies often charge more.
Plus, you can also get things like overnight accommodation and courtesy vehicles included if your van needs to be taken away for repair.
Make sure to check what your breakdown cover includes before heading out on the road this winter. If you need to, update or modify your existing policy.
9. Check your van’s battery health
Whether you drive an electric van or a petrol or diesel van, you’ll still need to monitor the health of your battery.
If you can, try to park your van in a garage or other enclosed space as freezing temperatures can affect your battery. You can test the health of your battery, starter and charging system by using a battery tester.
These are designed to measure voltage and assess resistance and conductance, so you can get a good idea of how it’s performing.
10. Give your van a health check
While you’re at it, giving your van a thorough check over in general is a good idea to prepare for winter. Check that your headlights, brake lights and fog lights are all in working order. Our partners at PowerBulbs can help with this, with a selection of bulbs from top manufacturers and regular offers available.
If you can, check the belts, hoses, and fuses too to make sure everything is in top shape. Then if you do notice anything that needs correcting, you can have it done sooner rather than later.
You can always have this done by a technician if you prefer, by taking your van to a local garage.
Drive your business forward with Vansdirect
Need a new workhorse for your business ventures? At Vansdirect we stock a wide range of the latest vans from top manufacturers. Choose from Citroen, Ford, Renault, Vauxhall, and many more!
But we’re not just here to help you find the perfect van! We also offer a range of van finance options including hire purchase, contract hire and van leasing to help you spread the costs. Plus, with our maintenance, fuel cards, van racking, and insurance services, you can take care of everything in one place.
Get in touch with our friendly team today to see how we can help you.