Spring Car Care Checklist: Shake Off Winter and Get Ready for Sunnier Miles

Spring is the best time of year to give your car a proper reset. The worst of the weather is behind you, the clocks are about to change, and before you know it you'll be loading up for summer trips and bank holiday runs. A little attention now means a more reliable, cheaper-to-run car for the rest of the year.

Here's the spring checklist we run through on every service booking this time of year.

Before anything else, get the car thoroughly clean — inside, outside and especially underneath.

Focus on:

• ▸The underside, wheel arches and sills (jet wash or hand-wash)
• ▸Behind the wheels, where salt collects
• ▸The engine bay (a careful light wash gets rid of grit)
• ▸Inside — floor mats, door seals and boot area

A clean car is much easier to inspect, and you'll spot new dents, scuffs or rust flags before they get worse.

Cold winter air meant your tyre pressures have probably dropped. Warmer weather changes them again. Now is the right time to:

• ▸Reset all four tyre pressures to the figure in your door shut or handbook
• ▸Check tread depth across the full width — aim for 3 mm+
• ▸Look for sidewall bulges, cuts or cracking from UV and cold
• ▸Check your spare (or inflator/sealant kit) is actually usable

Tip: Pothole-damaged tyres often look fine from above — get down and check the inside sidewall too.

If you've hit a pothole (or three) over winter, your tracking is almost certainly out. Symptoms include:

• ▸The car pulling slightly to one side
• ▸Uneven wear on the inside or outside edge of a tyre
• ▸A steering wheel that's not quite straight on a flat road

A quick four-wheel alignment check is one of the best-value spring jobs going. It saves tyres and makes the car feel brand new again.

Winter gives brakes a hammering. Road salt, short journeys and wet conditions accelerate wear and can cause pads to stick.

Signs to listen for:

• ▸Squealing or grinding when braking
• ▸A soft or spongy pedal
• ▸The car pulling under braking
• ▸A faint burning smell after heavy use

Brake fluid should be changed every two years — it absorbs moisture and loses its boiling point, which can cause real problems on hot summer descents.

Winter wipers take a proper beating from frost, salt and ice scrapers. If they're smearing or juddering, replace them now — summer bugs and pollen are coming.

• ▸Replace both front wipers (and the rear if fitted)
• ▸Top up with a summer-grade screenwash with bug remover
• ▸Give the windscreen a deep clean, inside and out

This is a big one. If you haven't used your air-con much over winter, it'll feel sluggish when you switch it back on — and that's exactly when leaks and bad smells show up.

Spring air-con check:

• ▸Run it on full cold for 10 minutes every week going forward
• ▸Book a regas if it's not blowing properly cold — most systems need one every 2–3 years
• ▸Ask for an anti-bacterial cleanse if you're getting musty smells from the vents

Working air-con also keeps your windscreen clear and your fuel economy better in warm, humid weather.

Hay fever sufferers, this one's for you. A blocked pollen filter stops your cabin air being properly filtered, and it's cheap to replace.

A fresh cabin filter:

• ▸Reduces pollen, dust and exhaust fumes inside the car
• ▸Improves air-con and heater airflow
• ▸Helps prevent those stale, "old car" smells

Quick visual check on the essentials:

• ▸**Engine oil** — check level and colour (dark and thick = due a change)
• ▸**Coolant** — should be at the correct level between MIN and MAX
• ▸**Brake fluid** — clear and topped up, not dark brown
• ▸**Power steering fluid** (if fitted) — topped up and not foaming
• ▸**Screenwash** — obvious but easy to forget

If anything is low or looks wrong, don't just top it up and hope — low fluid usually points to a leak that's worth investigating.

Mornings and evenings are brighter now, but you still use your lights more than you'd think. Walk around the car with a helper and check:

• ▸Dipped and main beam headlights
• ▸Side lights and number-plate lights
• ▸Brake lights (all of them, including the high-level one)
• ▸Indicators, front and rear
• ▸Reversing lights and fog lights

A single blown bulb is an instant MOT fail and genuinely takes minutes to sort.

March and April are traditionally the busiest months of the year for MOTs — mainly because so many cars are registered in March. That means garages get booked up fast in May and June.

If your service, MOT or both are due in the next few months, book now. You'll get the slot you want, you'll avoid the panic, and you'll be properly ready for the summer.

Book your Spring Service with Your Local Mechanic and start the warmer months with a car you can rely on.