2015 India Edition – Monsoon Car Care Tips

Snapshot – The full fury of the south western monsoons are just about to be unleashed on the Indian sub-continent and driving conditions can be very treacherous when the deluge makes land fall. Your car is often the space that separates you from the very wet world around. A few simple car care measures from your side can ensure that you have a stress-free time driving around when the rain gods unleash their collective furies. CarToq lists out 10 friendly tips that’ll help you and your car tide over the rainy season with nary a worry.

Tyres

Grippy tyres are vital during all times, more so during the monsoons, when wet roads and a mix of oil and dirt can make motoring very challenging indeed. Ensure that your tyres are in good shape and have sufficient tread depth as specified by the manufacturer. Also, visually inspect for cracks and bulges, and get the tyre/s replaced if need be.

Brakes

Wet roads means lower grip for the tyres. Consequently, the brakes have to work harder to bring to car to a halt, leading to greater wear and tear. It’s important that you get the condition of your brake pads, brake shoes and discs checked before venturing out driving in the monsoons. Also, do top up your brake oil if needed.

All-weather floor mats

Messy and muddy interiors are a direct impact of the monsoon. To prevent this, investing in all weather floor mats that cover the floor of your car and protects the fabric lining of the floor is important. These floor mats also serve to capture muck from your shoes and prevent it from fouling the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals.

Car perfume refresh time

Refreshing your car perfume would be a good idea as monsoons bring out strong smells from out in the street. If your car perfume is due for a refill, get one before the monsoons kick in and you can even consider adding an extra perfume on an AC vent to keep foul smells at bay.

Door visors

Driving about in light drizzle with the windows slightly rolled down and the air conditioning turned off can be very refreshing. For you to do just this, a set of door visors will come in handy. Easy to fit and remove, door visors cost about 2,000 rupees for a high quality set of four.

Check and replace wipers, windscreen, mudflaps and lights

Wipers get worn out with constant use. Also, the rubber blades that do the wiping hardens due to exposure to the elements resulting in poor wiper performance and a streaky windshield that leads to a drop in visibility. Therefore, replacing wiper blades before the onset of monsoons is a good idea. The windscreen is another area that needs to be in top shape to ensure good visibility. Ensure that it is clean and free of large scratches and scratches will lead to light dispersing while driving at night. Check all lights for proper functioning. Mudflaps need to be checked, and replaced if they are cut-off or sagging.

Check all beadings

Door beadings keep your car dry. Over time, beadings may fray or develop cracks. Once beadings go bad, your car’s water resistance takes a hit. Checking all door beadings before the monsoon is a good idea to prevent nasty surprises once the rains arrive.

Air conditioner check

When you drive around with the windows up and rain beating down on your car’s roof, the glass surfaces of your car will fog up due to the temperature in the car being higher than that of the environment outside the car. To prevent this, you need to have a functioning air conditioning that regulates the temperature. Therefore, checking your air conditioner and filling up on the AC gas if required is an important pre-monsoon step.

Essential things to carry

A box of tissues to wipe surfaces clean, a few newspapers that will come handy when your have a grimy windscreen, an umbrella to step out of the car in pouring rain, a set of fuses and spare bulbs of headlamps are five essential things that you need to carry in your car during the monsoons.

Wax polish, anti-rust and frequent visits to the car wash

A good coat of wax polish will deter water acting on your car’s paint. Rains during the pre-monsoons showers can be acidic in nature and the wax polish is your car paint’s first layer of protection. If you live on the coast, an anti-rust coating to the car’s underbody is a must to prevent corrosion. Also, crank up the number of visits to the car wash during monsoons.