EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
“No matter how well we prepare ourselves and our Land Rovers for winter weather, there is always the chance of something going wrong that we couldn’t predict”
In this issue’s Technical section you’ll find tips on preparing for winter. As Land Rover owners we drive the best cars for winter, but even careful preparation may not be enough. Let me explain... Take tyres for example. I’d checked mine to confirm they had good tread depth to deal with winter floods and snow. A day later, a shallow puddle on an otherwise dry dual carriageway had my Range Rover Sport aquaplaning toward the side of the road with no response from the steering. The situation was corrected when the front tyres touched dry tarmac again, but when 2.5 tonnes of vehicle on premium tyres does that at 45 mph, it’s a stark reminder to stay vigilant every inch of the way, and to be ready for anything.
We also need to consider the increased electrical load from winter driving, when demister fans, headlamps and spot lamps, wipers and screen heaters are all drinking the battery power. I took my 110 out on a wet night with all that essential kit switched on to rescue a friend’s Mercedes. Driving back in the 110, I sensed impending electrical problems – wipers working a tad slowly, headlamps not as bright as before. I switched off the screen heater, air blowers, air con and spot lamps to ease the electrical load, and pressed on. A couple of miles further on the three amigos (traction, ABS and brake warning lamps) lit up on the dash panel – a sign the battery’s electrical energy was just about drained. A good thing about the 110’s diesel engine is that when the battery is discharged, it will keep on running (though it won’t restart if switched off). So, taking care with reduced lighting, I got home, but I needed to fit a new alternator, smartish.
The point to learn from all this is that no matter how well we prepare ourselves and our Land Rovers for winter weather, there is always the chance of something going wrong that we couldn’t predict, check, or prepare for. It reminds me of when I reversed my wife’s Freelander into a stone wall – it’s always the things you don’t see coming, that give you the problems. Stay vigilant this winter, and be ready for the unexpected..