A Seasonal Car Maintenance Calendar for Tyneside Drivers

Spring: recovering from winter

Winter is hard on a car's underside. Once the gritting season is over, give the wheel arches and underbody a thorough rinse to shift any remaining road salt, which can speed up corrosion on brake pipes, suspension parts and exhaust fittings.

Spring is also the time to check for potholes damage. Look at the tyres for bulges, watch for the car pulling to one side, and listen for knocking over bumps. These can point to tyre, wheel or suspension damage that is worth having inspected.

If you park outside near the coast, wash the car more often than you think you need to. Salt in the air settles on paintwork, door edges and brake components, and a regular rinse costs very little in time compared with the corrosion it can prevent.

• Rinse off salt, including wheel arches and underneath
• Check tyre sidewalls and tracking
• Replace worn wiper blades after a season of ice and grit
• Book a vehicle health check if anything feels different

Summer: heat and holidays

If the air conditioning is weak or smells musty, spring or early summer is a good time to have it checked rather than waiting for the first hot day. Do not ignore it for years, as the system benefits from regular use.

Before a long trip, check tyre pressures, oil level, coolant level and the lights. Heavy loads, motorway miles and warm weather put extra strain on everything, and a quick interim service can make sense if you are close to the next one.

Summer is also a good time to look at the tyres, since warm roads and heavier loads show up uneven wear quickly. If you notice the car drifting or the steering wheel sitting off-centre, ask a garage to check the alignment rather than waiting for the tyres to wear out on one edge.

Autumn: getting ready for the dark

As the clocks go back, check every bulb, clean the headlight lenses and make sure the washer system works properly. Fallen leaves and damp roads reduce grip, so tyre tread and condition matter more now.

This is the moment to test the battery too. A battery that struggles in September rarely improves in January. If the engine turns over slowly, get it tested before the cold weather arrives.

Check the heater and demister before you need them. A windscreen that mists up and refuses to clear is a safety problem on dark mornings, and a blocked cabin filter or a failing heater can often be sorted out before the weather turns.

Winter: protecting the basics

Check the coolant level and condition, and keep the washer fluid topped up with a suitable screenwash. Clear all your glass properly before setting off, rather than peering through a small gap.

Short journeys do not give the battery much chance to recharge, so an occasional longer drive helps. After driving on gritted roads, rinse the car off when you can, particularly if you live near the coast where salty air adds to the problem.

If you rely on the car for work, such as a van used on short deliveries across the area, think about the battery and the tyres twice as hard, because stop-start use tires both. A quick vehicle health check in late autumn is a sensible way to catch things before a cold morning exposes them.

Fitting servicing and the MOT around the year

Pick a service point that suits your mileage, whether that is interim, full or major servicing, and book it before it becomes urgent. Put your MOT expiry date in your phone calendar a month ahead so you have time for a pre-MOT inspection and any repairs.

At Banks of the Tyne in Hebburn we can carry out the servicing, MOT testing and general maintenance for cars and vans in one place. Ask us what your vehicle needs, and we will explain it plainly at the estimate.

Frequently asked questions