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7 things you can do now to protect your car's exterior all winter long

Don’t let your precious motor fall foul of frost, wind and rain.

THE HAZARDS OF winter driving aren’t just limited to ice and snow. Ireland’s heavy rains, gale force winds and generally low winter temperatures can all wreak havoc on your vehicle, too.

Already this week, Met Eireann have issued frost warnings across the country, so if you haven’t already thoroughly checked and prepped your car for colder weather, now is the time to do so.

Not only will you save yourself heaps in repairs down the line, but by protecting your car’s exterior, windscreen and tyres, you’re adding to your safety on the road too.

Here are a few things you can do at home to winter-proof your wheels…

  • Firstly, protect that paint job. Give the car a really good wash – including underneath – and let it dry thoroughly. Wax the car using a synthetic wax or sealant for winter protection. Unlike carnauba waxes, a polymer or acrylic resin sealant can shield against water and road salts.
  • After waxing the roof and doors, turn your attention the lower parts of the car, including behind the wheels, the rear wing, and front grille. These are the places where ice, snow and salt hit hard and linger the longest.
  • Protect your tyres by applying a tyre cleaner and coating to help repel the force of the elements. Look for a cleaner with UV protection to help slow down the deterioration of the rubber.
  • While we are on the subject of tyres, make sure they are properly inflated. The air inside tyres shrinks in cold temperatures. If they become under-inflated, the tread will not make enough contact with the road to manoeuvre in slippery conditions.
  • If you’re driving on salted roads during the winter, wash the underneath of your car as soon as possible afterwards to prevent corrosion damage.
  • Fill your reservoir up with screenwash to help cut through road salt, grime and mud and increase your windscreen visibility. Adding screenwash to the water will stop the water freezing.
  • Consider investing in a good quality cover, especially if your car is stored outside or for long periods without being used. Yes, they’re expensive, but they’re worth it for peace of mind.

More: 10 essential tips for driving in dark winter conditions >

More: Review – Opel Crossland X compact crossover >

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    Mute John Judd
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    Feb 13th 2018, 3:57 PM

    No point in creating jobs if there is a shortage of houses / apartments for employees to live in

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    Mute Pat Bateman
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    Feb 13th 2018, 3:59 PM

    @John Judd: What if the employees are Irish and are living here anyway?

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    Mute Frank Carty
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:06 PM

    @John Judd: No point in creating houses / apartments if there are no jobs for the people that live in them.

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    Mute GizmoIrl
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:46 PM

    @Pat Bateman: that’s rare in these companies.

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    Mute Gary
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:47 PM

    @John Judd: That’s the spirit John. Bah humbug.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Feb 13th 2018, 5:52 PM

    @John Judd: You’re right John, all this job creation is desperate stuff altogether. It wouldn’t have happened in my day….

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    Mute Alec Silke
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    Feb 14th 2018, 12:15 PM

    @John Judd: the Building of new houses has started . But can a normal family afford to buy one !

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    Mute John003
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    Feb 13th 2018, 3:57 PM

    We must be getting close to full employment where anyone who wants a job can get one…..Don’t think any other European economy even Germany have our economic growth rates…..

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    Mute Honeybadger197
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:15 PM

    @thewolf: What’s the breakdown of that welfare spending? Or are you simply moaning for the sake of it?

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Feb 13th 2018, 5:48 PM

    @Blants: so employees with lots of experience are unattractive to organisations? Wrong.

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    Mute HortiLeinster
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    Feb 13th 2018, 10:13 PM

    @John003: maybe so but not all these jobs are full 40 hr week numbers. An awful lot of 20-30 hr crap out there.

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    Mute Honeybadger197
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    Feb 13th 2018, 10:53 PM

    @thewolf: Feel free to get to your point then?

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    Mute Grand
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    Feb 13th 2018, 3:58 PM

    Meanwhile the rest of the country suffers on…plenty of land for accommodation here lads!!!

    And by rest of the country I mean rural towns and villages. Not Cork, Limerick, Galway, etc.

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    Mute David Murphey
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:08 PM

    @Grand: you are right – it’d be great if these companies would set up outside Dublin.

    IDA don’t give grants to foreign companies setting up in Dublin any more. And still the companies want to set up in Dublin.

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    Mute Reg
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:23 PM

    @Grand: And why would a company like Autodesk even contemplate setting up in a rural town or village?

    These companies need to be close to population centres to attract workers.

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    Mute Tom Molloy
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:37 PM

    @David Murphey: They should pick places like Athenry Co Galway.

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    Mute David Murphey
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:38 PM

    @Larry Leary: “supported by” means the IDA will take the credit for attracting the company to Ireland. :-) IDA have been working on this one for several years.

    But they won’t get any grants from IDA.

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    Mute Gary Foster
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:49 PM

    MSD have a facility in Swords that they are reopening, why would they head for the bog?

    In any event, where would you find 350 workers in rural Ireland?

    Finally:
    “We selected Dublin because of its global business environment, talent, ability to support European languages, excellent long-term cost structure, and quality of life for employees,”
    BOOM!!!

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    Mute Daniel Wilson
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    Feb 13th 2018, 7:51 PM

    @Gary Foster: well if you’re commuting 45 mins to cross the city you might as well commute the same length of time outside the city. That’s why the government should be pushing big companies like this out the city even if it costs big money in the short term.

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    Mute HortiLeinster
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    Feb 13th 2018, 10:16 PM

    @Gary Foster: Balliragget

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    Mute Tom Sawyer
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:15 PM

    Where are all the employees going to live? Tents? Or 10 per house?

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    Mute Honeybadger197
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:17 PM

    @Tom Sawyer: Are you assuming all the vacancies will be filled by people that dont already live in the region?

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    Mute GizmoIrl
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:47 PM

    @Tom Sawyer: the new communes they are building for the millennial foreigners

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    Mute purple rain
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    Feb 13th 2018, 8:10 PM

    @Tom Sawyer: they want us living in shared accommodation like students.

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:58 PM

    In 2013 570 people lost their jobs there, will they be rehired I wonder!

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Feb 13th 2018, 5:51 PM

    @Colette Kearns: I doubt 5 years later people are still out of work, waiting for the office to reopen.

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Feb 13th 2018, 5:52 PM

    @Colette Kearns: depends on how many are going to apply I suppose.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Feb 13th 2018, 5:55 PM

    @Colette Kearns: You’re a great woman for the oul wondering Colette!

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    Mute Adrian
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    Feb 13th 2018, 4:09 PM

    Just waiting for the unfortunate matching job losses news that the gov like to match this type of story up with!

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    Mute Tony Dowling
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    Feb 13th 2018, 5:02 PM

    @Adrian: you’ll be waiting so.

    Shinners wishing job losses on the country, so they can be ‘right’. Sad.

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    Mute Adrian
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    Feb 13th 2018, 5:46 PM

    @Tony Dowling: no, not wishing on any job losses, just highlighting the sneaky way the gov operate. Wouldn’t be surprised if there were job losses announced on friday, which would be drowned out in the news by another one of the govs big launches on the future of Ireland.

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    Mute Alan Walter Gallagher
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    Feb 13th 2018, 7:16 PM

    Be nice to have 550 jobs in the county that will be most impacted by Brexit but we don’t have many motorways, integrated public transport or railroads to entice them with (anyone spot a theme with my posts yet!). Heather Humphries TD when questioned in the Dail about such enterprising suggestions as encouraging the IDA to view more prospective sites in Donegal (2 in the last year!) was “we’ll being from Cavan I’m quite jealous of the business already in Donegal”…all which have been here ten years or more still leaving us with high employment rates (nit the companies faults..). That’s the calibre of ministers we have…

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