Spring has officially arrived and like us, our cars need to shake off the winter cold to be fit for the summer ahead. If you haven’t done so already, get your car ready for spring with our latest tips from the IAM’s standards and compliance manager, Richard Gladman.

1. If you haven’t given your car a full spring clean yet now is a good time to wash off all the grime and road salt. Use a pressure washer to clean the underside, but take care with delicate areas and don’t spray directly onto oil seals or rubber areas. Better still, let a professional clean it.
2. Give your windows a good clean on the inside too – dirty windows are more prone to misting up. Simply use washing up liquid in water to get them squeaky clean.
3. If you’ve been using winter tyres replace them with summer tyres. Check the tyres thoroughly for damage and check the pressures before setting off.
4. Ensure your wiper blades are in full working order after a winter of hard use and test all of your lights.
5. Spring may well bring on hay fever so use the air conditioning and re-circulation settings on your ventilation system to help reduce the effects.

“It’s easy to overlook when the temperatures aren’t in the high twenties, but make sure you keep a pair of sunglasses with you too – the sun tends to be very low at this time of year and these will come in handy when dealing with glare in the early morning and evening.

In this light dirt and grime on the windscreen and mirrors can be even more distracting– keep them clean throughout.