Can you cope with a bit of winter?
Tyre and brake fitter Kwik-Fit is offering freebies -- probably suitable only for your shopping car -- as it issued a warning to motorist not to ‘wing it’ this winter.
This follows the company's commissioned research which found that 1.8 million (seven per cent) British motorists make no attempt to check that any part of their car is prepared for winter driving conditions -- so the other 93 per cent of us are OK. Half of all motorists (50 per cent) fail to check their battery and over two thirds (37 per cent) ignore the condition of their windscreen wipers. Kwik-Fit didn't say how many people were interviewed, when, nor what questions were asked.
In response Kwik-Fit said that it'll give away 150,000 litres of screen wash, engine oil and anti-freeze – the equivalent to 1,000 bathtubs full – in a bid to keep people motoring safely this winter. This refers apparently to the industry-standard 150-litre bathtub, so now you know.
Customer service director David White at Kwik-Fit said: "Scenes of stranded vehicles left by the side of the road during bouts of cold weather are all too familiar and many of their owners would do well to remember that prevention is better than the cure. Indeed, experts estimate that over half of all roadside recoveries can be avoided by simple car maintenance."
Kwik-Fit’s offer is part of a nationwide free winter check-up programme aimed to educate motorists that the best defence against a breakdown is preparation. Motorists can visit the company’s centres without an appointment to claim up to one free litre of engine oil, screen wash and anti-freeze (although this is available only at the company's MoT centres) as required by their car -- as long as stock last, adds the company. They'll check your battery, tyres, lights and windscreen washers free of charge, it says here. And you'll just have to trust them when they say you need a new one...
| Vehicle essentials |
Percentage of UK motorists who fail to check item
|
National equivalent number of motorists (million)
|
|
Battery
|
50
|
13.8
|
|
Windscreen wipers
|
37
|
10.3
|
|
Tyre pressure and tread
|
25
|
6.9
|
|
Oil level
|
25
|
6.8
|
|
Screenwash level
|
17
|
4.6
|
|
Antifreeze /coolant level
|
16
|
4.5
|
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