This is the winter week: on 15 November theobligation, on certain roads, of winter tires. To learn more about this aspect, I leave you our dedicated article at the bottom of the page. But this is Auto for Dummies, the column that explains the tricks of the car mono. For this, today we present the 6 car accessories that can never be missing in winter. Ready to take note and equip them all on your car?
Rubber mats, a car accessory for winter as simple as it is revolutionary
Let’s start immediately with a classic example of an object known by all but used by very few: i rubber carpet cover mats. Present on extremely robust and off-road vehicles, rubber mats can save the original carpets and the carpet itself from the challenges set in place by winter. Mud, dry or wet leaves, snow, and maybe some “remember”Of animals met on the street … If there is a season that, more than all, leads to dirty shoes (and not only), it is winter.
From this point of view, therefore, rubber mats are not one of those car accessories for the winter for hyper-attentive people who do not want to ruin the upholstery. Indeed, by fitting them you will use the car with a light heart, without the risk of dirtying the car too much and then having to clean it afterwards! In fact, unlike classic mats, the plastic ones are simply washable with a garden hose. After a simple step, they are ready. In this way, you will also save yourself from careless friends, from excessive amounts of mud or snow and you will be able to preserve your carpet in the most difficult period of the year.
But where and how do you buy rubber mats? There are actually several possibilities. In fact, car manufacturers often offer this type of object in their original accessories catalog purchasable from the official website of the House or at the dealership. Some, like those of Skoda, they are even officially sold on Amazon. In any case, right on the Jeff Bezos website or in the major sites and shops of auto parts and do-it-yourself ones you can find the universal mats. Although not made exactly like those of your car, for a humble and functional use they will be fine. The price? The cheapest set of four universal mats can be found around the 15/20 euro, while those originals oscillate tbetween 45 and 80/100 euros. For heavy use, however, the universal ones will do just fine.
Goodbye scraper: the ice melt liquid is the car accessory for the winter you have always dreamed of
Your greatest terror is to come down in the morning and find the completely frozen glass? You have been going on for years a ice scraper and hot water bottles? Well, with the next of the car accessories for the winter these will be just fun memories of the past. The scraper is in fact only one memory of the past, because the liquid melt ice, also known as de-icer.
This liquid, preferably to be purchased in a spray bottle like that of household cleaning products, is in fact a real game changer. Usually formed by 2-propanol, an alcohol not very aggressive with surfaces but with a high cleaning power (it is in fact often used for cleaning lenses, screens, circuits and other delicate surfaces), the ice-melting spray is one of the simplest and most immediate car accessories for winter to use. In fact, just spray the product at a distance of about 30 cm from the windshield, and wait a few seconds. In a short time, the ice in contact with the product will melt easily, leaving you with nothing to do but operate the wipers to remove all the water and the remaining melted ice.
The ice melt spray is also very useful in case of frozen locks or handles, and also to prevent the rubber seals dry out and get damaged with the cold. Such a useful and simple accessory, yet still not very widespread. All this considering also the really low price: the Ma Fra product, No Ice, costs on Amazon just over 4 euros, while that of Arexons arrives at 7,60 euro.
Among the car accessories for the winter not to be forgotten, remember the window cleaner with antifreeze: if you forget it, the price will be steep …
Let’s stay in contact with the ice to talk about one of the most forgotten and underestimated aspects of car ownership: the washer fluid. Often considered useless or superfluous, in winter its lack is really lacking. Due to humidity, dirt and, in case of adverse conditions, water and snow mixed with the dirt of the asphalt fill the rear window and windshield, preventing you from having an optimal view in all directions.
Because of this, the washer fluid is one of those car accessories that in winter (but not only) it is wrong to simply define “accessories”. Being able to see well is in fact the first requirement for safe and risk-free driving. So check that you have enough washer fluid, your safety is at stake. More, almost all cars built after the 00s warn you when this ends: you really have no more excuses. And try to avoid tap water, at least in winter. With winter dirt, in fact, water sometimes fails to clean the surfaces well, risking even worsening the situation!
Also, if you live in a particularly cold area, still water is completely not recommended. In fact, especially when parked on the street, the car reaches extremely cold temperatures. For this reason, if its liquids are free of antifreeze, they risk freezing inside. What does it entail? As the physics of middle and high school teaches, ice has a volume greater than that of liquid water. This means that if the water freezes inside pipes and tanks, it can easily to destroy both of them. For this it is advisable to use gods detergents with a fairly important antifreeze, with resistance down to -15 ° C: in this way, you do not risk running out of water and breaking something! You can find these window cleaners in all the most well-stocked supermarkets and hypermarkets, in do-it-yourself shops or on the internet. The price than a good antifreeze window cleaner? Depending on the size of the bottle, it can be switched from 5 to 15 euros. Nothing exceptional, right?
How can a blanket be an essential car accessory for the winter? In case of breakdowns it can save you
We arrive at the fourth of our car accessories for the winter, with a choice that will certainly surprise you: one blanket. But how, among the car accessories, a harmless and out of place blanket? Well, yes, because it can be much more useful than you think. Meanwhile, if you carry people in the rear seats and the car you own does not have a large ventilation system for the rear seats, this can become a panacea for your passengers’ journeys. Plus, the blanket can be incredibly useful in situations of extreme danger.
In fact, if you had to for some unfortunate reason stay on foot during the night, or on a public holiday, in the middle of nowhere, it wouldn’t be a walk like in summer or spring. In fact, in the warm seasons, just find a little shelter from the sun and you will be fine. In winter, however, if the car were to deprive you due to a serious heating failure, it really would be dangerous. With an outside temperature around 0 degrees, it only takes a few minutes to make the interior very cold. In those moments, in addition to the discomfort and the possibility of getting sick, there is even the risk of hypothermia: the story of a Scottish family who spent a whole night in the open in the winter of 2018 made the news, and was saved only thanks to the presence in the car of blankets and heavy jackets.
A farsightedness that must be followed. At worst, you have a thickness to divide your most fragile bags! The price of a medium to large size fleece blanket is under 20 euros: undoubtedly a sustainable expense. Never forget then to bring, on a long trip in winter, too food and water, possibly low perishable snacks. In this way, you will always be hydrated and refreshed: very useful during the hours of driving in the dark that winter forces.
A powerbank, indeed, a starter-powerbank: to recharge your car and phone
We come to the fifth of the auto accessories for today’s winter, which is a real one multifunctional objectAnd. In fact, I’m talking about powerbank also equipped with integrated starter. These objects are to all intents and purposes very generously sized powerbank, with capacity which almost always exceeds i 10.000 mAh e it can even reach 20 or 30,000 mAh. These portable batteries come with a torch, of a very sturdy construction which allows you to withstand cold, heat and falls, and of USB sockets for charging mobile devices.
In fact, in winter, as in midsummer, the autonomy of the lithium-ion batteries of the batteries is put to the test, reducing performance by up to 20/30% in case of extreme temperatures. Because of this, having a large magazine close at hand can be a very wise move. In recent years, however, the most versatile power banks have seen the arrival of terminals with positive and negative, and a voltage of 14-16 V when used with the terminals. This allowed the spread of the so-called powerbank-starter, i.e. portable batteries capable of restoring life to a discharged car or motorcycle battery without great effort.
But pay attention to the model you choose and to your carThese systems aren’t all perfect, and if your engine or electrical system has a lot of power or displacement, these power banks aren’t powerful enough. In any case, for those who have a car with a conventional engine and always want to charge their portable devices and have, in case of need, the possibility of “shocking” their car, these objects are perfect.. The cost? They are not exactly cheap, with a fluctuating price between 40 and 100 euros for larger power banks. The possibility of not staying on foot, however, makes them really …