A brief guide to preparing you S for winter.

Words courtesy of Chris Manley

If you plan to use you S over the winter you there are a few things that you should do before the weather gets really bad as well as things that you should be doing through out the cold weather.

Chassis: Make sure that you get the chassis treated with Waxoyl or Tectyl. This will help stop corrosion that can occur, especially when they start salting the roads. If you have time the best thing to do is get the car up on the axel stands or ramps, and give the chassis a good brush down and a coat of Hammerite before you start waxoyling. This should be done all year round but is especially important in winter. If you have the facilities you should regularly hose off the salt on the chassis. Make sure you have cut out the corners of the rubber plates at the end of the outriggers, a build up of salty water here is not good.

Bodywork: If the car is going to be used sparingly you can probably get away with a good coat of wax such as Meguiar's Gold Class, PS21 or Zymol and wash with a non detergent cleaner that won't strip the wax finish. If the car is to be used daily, then I would recommend washing the car at least every 3 weeks and reapplying the wax, more often if the car is to be kept outside. If the car has snow on, refrain from swiping it off with your hand as you will scratch the paint. Pour luke warm water over it to wash the snow away.

Wheels: The later OZ type wheels are especially vulnerable to corrosion, I would suggest regularly coating them in a wheel wax of some kind. I found Turtle Wax Extreme Wheel Wax very good and easy to apply. You can also use body work wax. If you want to go to the extreme you can coat the wheels in waxoyl and pressure wash when the winter is over.

Windscreen: For the exterior, regular applications of RainX will help shift the salt/scum build up when you wash and wipe. Try and install a spray bar or reposition the washer jet to squirt more over the area of the screen that you use the most. It is also advisable to carry a newspaper and some glass cleaner to clean off the bits the wipers don't clear (the majority of the screen). Interior, get hold of some anti mist from Halfords, to apply in the mornings and evenings. It is also worth getting hold of a small plug in ceramic heater to warm the interior up before the heater kicks in. This can also be helpful to de-mist, but don't put it too close to the windscreen or you may crack it.

Engine: Check the coolant, make sure you have the appropriate level of anti freeze for your area of the country. Also check your oil level, it is good to have the level somewhere between maximum and minimum, if you have a lot of oil in the car then it takes longer for it to heat up to temperature. If you plan to use the car constantly, check all the holes the cables/pipes come out of and if need be go around it with silicone sealant. Make sure that you have a rubber seal on the pressure cap of the car, where ever you have it. These are basic check and should be carried out all year round.

Roof: Make sure that you apply some sort of waterproofer to the roof. For this I would recommend Thompson's Waterseal for bricks, concrete and canvass. It is cheap £6 or so for half a gallon and this will last you at least a year if not a lot more. When doing this it is advisable to get the roof panels off and do all the mohair surface. Make sure you don't let it drip on the bodywork or glass. If it does, wipe off immediately or use some sort of solvent on the glass. Fabsil is also a good product, make sure you get the brush applicable one and not the spray. If you plan to do a lot of winter top down motoring, it is advisable to try and warm up the interior of the car before removing the roof panels and folding back the hood. This is to soften the rear screen slightly. Make sure you carry a towel or blanket to roll up and tuck in it to help avoid kinks and scratches. IKEA do some soft blankets for around £3 which are good for this and cutting up for polishing cloths. IF the car is kept outside, invest in a Leven shower cap. Not only will this prevent the car's roof from getting wet/snowed on it also stops the screens from misting and frosting over. This is especially bad for the rear screen. It also dulls the chill inside the car somewhat. I have applied it to the car with a wet roof and if you have waterproofed correctly the majority of the water beads off. But beware in the colder areas the cover can freeze to the roof and also be very difficult to fold up. If it freezes to the roof, make sure you reapply some waterproofer ASAP (i.e. when it is dry).

Lights: These are naturally very important, a good set of bulbs, such as Phillips Vision Plus, go far to improving the visibility for you and other road users. Regularly clean the lights, you can lose a lot of power just by having scum on the headlights. A coat of RainX  helps keep them clean and helps prevent deposits on the lenses. Make sure that your rear fog works as well as the front fogs (if you have them fitted). Again a good set of bulbs in the driving lights will be beneficial, although these are slightly more difficult to replace than the headlights.

Things to carry in the boot:

Water + antifreeze
Oil
Hazard warning sign
Glass cleaner + paper/cloth
Screen washer
RainX
Blanket for roof/keeping warm in the event of a break down. S's are not the warmest of cars.
Tyre weld/spare wheel
Spare tank of petrol, important as you may get stuck in non moving traffic.
Bag of sand. This adds weight to the rear end, but more importantly you can use as grit it when you lack traction on the rear wheels.
Jump leads
Jack
Wheel brace.

Driving in the Winter

Driving the S in the winter, if you plan to drive it in the extreme weather, such as snow and ice, be extra careful. The V6 Ss are not really high powered car, but lack of weight and wide tyres can make them a handful in those weather conditions. Be careful on the bends, especially on the ones that go down hill or are off camber. Also be aware that there are numpties on the road and that if they hit you it can be potentially a write off for you and your car.

When driving with the Top off, I would recommend gloves and a Granny blanket. This is also good if you are going long distances. I usually wrap up warm rather than over stress the already poor heater in the S. A hat is also advisable as well Lipsyl or some sort of lip protection, after a drive last year in 0 ? 1 degree weather I could hardly speak.
 

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