Winter in Victoria is tough on cars. Months of cold starts, wet roads, mud, salt-laced grime and pothole-riddled bitumen all leave their mark — often in ways you won't notice until something goes wrong. With spring just around the corner, late August is the perfect time to give your car a once-over before the warmer months arrive.
Here's a practical checklist you can work through in your driveway in under half an hour, plus a few items worth booking in with a professional.
1. Check your tyre pressures (they'll be changing)
Tyre pressure rises and falls with temperature — roughly 1 to 2 psi for every 10 degrees. Tyres you topped up on a cold July morning may read differently as the days warm up. Check all four (and the spare) when the tyres are cold, and inflate to the figure on the placard inside your driver's door, not the maximum printed on the tyre itself.
Correct pressure isn't just about safety. Under-inflated tyres wear faster at the edges and increase fuel consumption, so a quick check pays for itself at the bowser.
2. Inspect tread and look for winter damage
Wet winter roads hide potholes, and a hard hit can leave more than a fright. Run your eyes and hands over each tyre and look for:
- Bulges or bubbles in the sidewall — a sign of internal damage that can lead to a blowout
- Cuts, cracks or embedded objects like screws or stones
- Uneven wear — more wear on one edge than the other often points to an alignment issue
The legal minimum tread depth in Australia is 1.5 mm, but grip in the wet drops off well before that. If your tread wear indicators are getting close to the surface, start planning a replacement.
3. Wash off the winter grime — underneath too
Mud and road grime trap moisture against metal, which encourages rust. A proper wash including the wheel arches and underbody helps, and it also gives you a chance to spot anything unusual, like a weeping shock absorber or damaged brake line.
4. Look after your wipers and washers
Wiper blades work hard through winter and the rubber degrades quickly. If they're streaking, chattering or squeaking, replace them — they're one of the cheapest safety items on the car. Top up the washer fluid while you're there; spring brings dust, pollen and bugs.
5. Test your battery
Cold weather strains car batteries, and many that limp through winter give up in the months after. If your battery is more than four years old, or the engine has been cranking slowly, have it load-tested. It's a five-minute job that can save you a flat battery in a shopping centre car park.
6. Check your lights and fluids
Walk around the car with the lights on and check headlights, brake lights, indicators and number plate lights. Then pop the bonnet and check engine oil and coolant levels. Low coolant matters more as temperatures climb — spring is when marginal cooling systems start to show themselves.
7. Book in anything you can't check yourself
A few things are best left to a hoist and a trained eye: wheel alignment after a winter of potholes, brake pad thickness, suspension wear and tyre rotation. If your steering wheel sits off-centre or the car pulls to one side, don't wait — misalignment quietly chews through tyres in a matter of months.
A little effort now saves money later
None of these checks take long, and together they catch most of the problems winter leaves behind. Your tyres, battery and brakes will all thank you — and so will your fuel bill.
If you'd rather have a professional look things over, the team at Global Tyres Geelong in North Geelong can help with a post-winter check, wheel alignment or tyre rotation — drop in or give us a call and we'll have you sorted for spring.