With the clocks going back at the end of March, we’re all being treated to an extra hour of evening sunlight a day. So why not put that sunlight to good use and get everything set for the rest of the year at the same time?
From car cleaning to car maintenance, we’ve got top tips and products to keep you moving as we wave goodbye to the colder months and welcome the warmth of spring and summer.
1. Help your car to recover from the winter with some TLC
The chilly and wet weather of autumn and winter can be rough on your car, so odds are it might be looking a little less than its best by the time spring rolls around. Happily, we’ve got a huge range of car cleaning products from leading names like Turtle Wax, Autoglym, Auto Finesse and Meguiar’s that will help you to restore your car to its former glory.
Some of our favourite products right now come from our new Autobrite range. Magifoam is one of the company’s best-sellers and it’s not hard to see why – the thick and foamy formula will make short work of pre-washing your car. Add in an Autobrite HD Foam Lance to make it easy (and fun) to apply and you’ll be seeing results in no time.
Then help to protect your hard work with Magiseal, a water-based and ceramic-infused coating that’ll add a layer of hydrophobic protection to your car’s paintwork (and can also be applied by using a foam lance or a low-pressure trigger spray).
For more product recommendations, including perfect product pairings that will really help to make the car cleaning process a breeze, have a read of our blog on Car cleaning perfect partners: Best product pairings.
And don’t forget about your car’s interior! The dirt, mud and grime of the colder months have probably left their mark here as well. An in-car vacuum, stain removers and dedicated interior cleaners are great places to start here – check out our recent blog on Top car cleaning tips on how to keep your interior clean for more info.
2. Get your spring and summer maintenance needs sorted
Of course, there’s more to showing your car some love than simply polishing it to a showroom-worthy shine. What’s going on under the bonnet is equally as important and that’s where our maintenance checks come in.
The first one we’d always recommend when you’re looking ahead to spring and summer is our Free Air Con Check. After all, no one wants the disappointment of pushing the AC button only for warm air to come out! In this check, one of our experienced colleagues will review the pressure of your AC, the gas quantity and your refrigerant levels. If your AC needs topping up, then we can get you booked in for our air con recharging service.
Our Free 5-Point Car Check is another service it’s well-worth booking, as we’ll check the condition of five key areas of your car. Or why not upgrade to our 10-Point Car Check for added peace of mind?
Another area to keep an eye on are your tyres. Having the correct tyre tread and pressure is key to staying safe on the roads. Our blog on How to maintain, clean and replace your tyres is packed with top tips on this topic, so make sure you head on over for a read and take advantage of our Free Tyre Check.
Finally, if you’ve run into a problem with your tyres or perhaps you’ve discovered a flat battery and can’t make it to your local Halfords, then we can come to you instead with our Halfords Mobile Experts service. Simply book online at a time and date that suits you.
3. Prepare for future journeys
Spring and summer are classic staycation seasons, so you’ll want to make sure your car is set up to make the most of them. In-car tech like a sat nav or dash cam will help you to get to your destination smoothly and safely, while a stereo or head unit will give you hours of entertainment to enjoy along the way.
For some extra space, it’s definitely worth considering a roof box. There are various sizes to choose from and we also offer fitting to get you all set up and ready to go.
Bike racks are another way to avoid having to sacrifice space inside your car and here you can choose between roof-mounted, rear-mounted and tow bar-mounted. For both of these types of products, just make sure that you use our online vehicle registration checker to check compatibility with your car first as not all makes and models will be appropriate for your particular vehicle.
Child car seats is another important area to keep an eye on if you’ve got little ones in the family. Choosing the right car seat can seem a bit complicated at first, but we’ve got some great advice and guidance in our Car Seat Buyer’s Guide that will walk you through all of the options.
Whatever model you go for, just make sure that it’s fitted securely so that your kids are fully protected. For a hand with fitting, select the fitting option during the online checkout process or pop down to your local Halfords where one of our colleagues will be happy to help.
We hope this article helps you to put that extra hour of sunlight to good use this spring! If you’re looking for any other car cleaning products, want to know more about our free car checks or need some staycation essentials, then head on over to Halfords.com.
