Silly car question: How do I look after my car in a storm?
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
As ex-Cyclone Gita bears down on New Zealand with the promise of bringing with it heavy rain, powerful winds and big seas, everyone is being warned to batten down the hatches and stay safe.
But what about your car? Should you do something to keep it safe too?
Or just leave it out on the street - and maybe even be silly enough to take it for a drive to check out the flooding or the waves?
**READ MORE:
* Silly question #24: Can we drive in jandals or barefoot?
* Silly Question #27: How do I keep cool in my car
* Silly car question #12: how should I hold a steering wheel?**
Even the Stuff motoring team doesn't want to drive today. Instead, we've prepared this advice….
Do you really have to drive?
When there's a big storm, the obvious safe thing to do is stay inside.
The same applies to your vehicle - it is safest if it is inside too. So if possible, garage your car so you can both sit out the rough weather.
If that's not possible, try to park your vehicle in the lee of a building or wall. That way, it won't bear the brunt of the bad weather.
But if it is really windy, try not to park your car in the lee of any large tree, where it might be in danger of being damaged by falling branches.
If none of that is possible and the only place you can park you car is right out in the open, you can still take some precautions so your vehicle stays safe. Make sure all the windows are securely shut.
If your car has a sunroof, make sure that's tightly shut too. There's nothing worse than returning to your vehicle after a particularly rainy night to discover water damage from a window left open.
But if you really do have to drive….
If you really do want to - or have to - head out into really foul weather in your vehicle, make sure all the important pieces of motoring equipment are in working condition.
Brakes, tyres, windscreen wipers, lights, and demister or air conditioning are all vital to safe driving in bad conditions.
When out on the road, take it easy.
Remember that in bad weather, even driving at the legal speed limit is often far too fast.
It's easy to lose control in the wet and the wind, particularly if you have to brake suddenly. So slow down.
If it is raining heavily, turn on your headlights - but remember to have them on dip.
And be aware of other vehicles around you. Big vehicles can spray water on your windscreen as they pass, so anticipate that it will happen before it actually happens.
Don't be stupid, silly.
Every storm, emergency authorities are constantly amazed at the sight of people out in their cars, doing stupid things.
Like tearing through big puddles and even floodwater. Going on sightseeing drives when the wind is tearing roofs off houses. Parking at the beach to watch big waves crashing ashore all around.
The obvious advice is this: don't do it. It's potentially dangerous to you, and potentially dangerous to your car.
After the storm, get out the hose.
Ex-Cycle Gita is going to be a relatively short event, passing over New Zealand on Tuesday night and part of Wednesday before heading out in the Pacific.
Then summer will return, leaving us all to dry out and clean up.
This is when it is an important time to wash your car.
If it has had to sit out in the weather during the storm, it will have been lashed with rain - and that water can contain pollutants that can be left on a vehicle's paintwork once the rain dries off, and those pollutants can cause damage.
This is particularly the case if you live along the New Zealand coastline, where salt spray can be a real issue because it is corrosive.
So wash your car as soon as possible after a spell of particularly bad weather. After that, it's also a good idea to open all doors, bonnet and boot to give the vehicle an airing.
If you live on the coast, and especially if you've been out driving in the rough weather, don't forget to give the underside of your vehicle a good hose-down too, particularly the wheel arches.
It's all very obvious, really.
In a storm it's important stay safe, and you clean up afterwards.
The same rules should apply to your valuable vehicle.