Halfords offers motorists free 10 point winter car check ahead of colder months – here’s how to get it
Halfords is offering all motorists a free 10 point winter car check in October, to help ensure their cars are ready for the cold months ahead.
Available at more than 750 Halfords branches across the UK, the assessment - which takes about half an hour to complete - includes checks of your lights, wipers, tyres and more.
Halfords says it focuses on the most important components for winter driving.
Each month, the high street chain detects 30,000 serious safety defects like bald tyres or broken brakes.
Halfords Services & B2B Director Anthony Caie says: "We are excited to launch Halfords Car Safety Month with the offer of a free 10 point car health check this October.
"Halfords is committed to making the UK’s roads safer by increasing awareness of the dangers of badly maintained vehicles and offering professional and expert support from our technicians.
"To help, we are giving our customers the opportunity to get their vehicles checked for free, a service which usually costs £15."
This check is free until November 1. .
The full test includes:
Battery
Your car’s battery is what starts the engine when you turn the key. If this goes wrong or wears out, your car won’t start.
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It’s the most common reason for breakdown service callouts - especially in winter, when it accounts for around a quarter of all recovery calls.
Many drivers never get this important component checked.
Halfords will check the health of your battery and advise if it needs replacement.
Lights
Your headlights and tail lights are essential all year round, but are particularly important in the winter months when it gets darker earlier.
You could get fined £1,000 if yours are defective.
Halfords will ensure that these lights are working correctly with no damaged covers or blown bulbs.
Wiper blades
Your wipers are extremely important in winter - and you could get a £5,000 fine if they're defective.
Grit, salt and mess on the road can splash up and cover your windscreen in dangerous dirt.
And freezing weather can lead to damage to your wiper blades if you try to use them to clear snow and ice from your windscreen.
Windscreens
Windscreens are tough, but it doesn’t take much for them to be damaged by flying stones.
And in cold winter weather, a small chip could freeze and become a much larger crack overnight.
You could get a fixed penalty notice for having a dangerous crack in your windscreen.
MOT due date reminder
You can only drive your car if it has a valid MOT.
If you let your MOT lapse, you could find yourself given a big fine if you try to drive your car anywhere.
Halfords will ensure that your car’s MOT is within date.
Tyre tread depth
Your tyres are what let you speed up, slow down and steer your car.
If the tread depth on one or more of your tyres wears down too far, you’ll find it more difficult to do any of those things, especially in wet and cold weather.
If you neglect your rubber, you could also be fined £2,500 per tyre.
Tyre inflation
Even if your tyre isn’t completely flat, a slightly under- or over-inflated tyre can still be dangerous.
A tyre that doesn’t have enough air in it might impact your fuel economy too.
Oil level check
The oil in your engine is what keeps it running smoothly, but it does need topping up and replacing from time to time.
If it runs too low, you risk damaging your engine.
And by the time the warning light comes on, it could be too late.
Screen wash top up
It’s easy to forget your screen wash, but it’s particularly important in winter.
More muck on the road means you’ll need to use it more often, and the low winter sun means screen glare from a dirty windscreen is more likely - and more dangerous.
AdBlue and coolant check
Your AdBlue helps your diesel car to produce fewer harmful gases. Fitted to the most recent diesel cars, it’s an important way to protect everyone’s health.
It needs topping up every few thousand miles.
Your coolant keeps your cars engine running without overheating. This will also need topping up from time to time.
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The Halfords check ensures that both of these fluids are at an acceptable level.
Go to the Halfords website to 10 point check.
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