Photo Credit: Grandpa@50 from flickr.com

Here is our second set of tips for you and your vehicle this rainy season. We really need to be careful when the road is wet and knowing these might just be helpful to let you know what to do in these situations.

Wet roads and Brakes

Please make sure that your brake pads (for disc brakes) and brake shoe (for drum brakes) are still in good shape. Also check your brake fluid and make sure that it is at the maximum level. Have your mechanic check this regularly so you can be sure that your vehicle would stop when it needs to.

Check on your wheels as well. Good brakes can only perform well if you have good tires.  Make sure that your tires still has groves that would still be able to grip the road. Otherwise, you will just slide and might probably hit something or another vehicle.

When your  vehicle has just passed a flooded area, do not accelerate right away and be very gentle on the gas pedal.  Your brakes have been soaked in water and might not work properly since it is wet.  You have two approaches to solve this problem.  You can lightly press on the gas pedal and step on the brakes simultaneously (easier for automatic transmission vehicles) until you feel that your brakes have regained its stopping power or you can choose to let the vehicle move slowly a few meters and try double or triple pumping the brakes and continue repeating this step until your brakes have been restored.  Please do take note that disc brakes dry faster than drum brakes so try to get a feel first if your brakes are working fine before you decide to speed up again.

Rains tend to make puddles on the road. You can find these long puddles on uneven roads or along the side or on the shoulder of the road. You also have to be alert not to drive over these puddles when you are speeding. Driving over them at high speed might make your car hydroplane causing you to lose control of your vehicle. When it’s raining, try to drive moderately slow and always be careful and alert. A few minutes late is a lot better than meeting an accident on the road.

More tips for the rainy season next time…

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Photo Credit:  ehow.com

Driving during the rainy season may pose some problems for you if you are not careful and your vehicle is not ready for the wet weather. Here are some tips on how you can have your vehicle ready and some driving tips as well to help keep you out of danger when it is raining. Check out these series of tips which may help prepare you during these conditions.

Windshield and Wipers

To be able to drive well, you should be able to see the road and your surroundings. Make sure that your windshield wipers are working well and can wipe off the rain water as it hits your windshield. The summer heat can cause it to wear out and possibly crack so by the time the rainy season comes, the rubber on your wipers are already useless, just spreading the rain water all over your windshield and not really wiping it off. Replace old wipers with new ones that you can purchase from most car accessories shop. Just make sure you get the right lengths for your wipers. Some wiper pairs may not have the same length. Check the size of your wipers before you make any purchase. Also, there are two types of connections, a screw type and a clip type. Make sure you get the ones that are applicable to your vehicle. Also make sure that your windshield washer is working fine and has a good amount of water and mild detergent mixture just to help your wipers wipe the dirt off your windshield.

When it rains, your vehicle’s air conditioner tends to be a lot cooler, thus, creating a mist on your door glass and back glass, making it hard for you to see your sides and your rear. You can pull up to a covered area or a gas station temporarily, roll down your door windows and roll them up again to clear the mist on the sides. If your vehicle came with a built-in defogger, then all you have to do is push on the defogger switch and wait for the back glass to clear and you’re ready to roll again. But if you don’t have a defogger, using the palm of your hands to wipe the back glass and the door glass might clear it temporarily but the mist will be back again after a short while. You need to have a clean piece of cloth to wipe off the mist on your door glass and back glass then lower the temp of your air conditioner and make the louvers face downward to help prevent the mist from coming back. It will be a much clearer view for you after doing this making it a lot easier to drive.

That’s it for now. More tips for the rainy season next time…