Five top tips to prepare your van for summer

After a long winter of wear and tear through snow, salt and potholes – and now volcanic dust – your van will be in need of a little TLC. Being prepared for the summer and making checks now can save you money in the long run.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists has issued some practical advice for drivers on how to prime their vehicles properly for the warmer weather:

Now is a good time to treat your vehicle to a spring clean. Salt is a corrosive and will cause rusting if left on the bodywork. If possible, take it to a car wash that specialises in under-car cleaning to get rid of every trace.
The UK pollen season starts around now and can be pretty miserable for hay fever sufferers, so replacing your pollen filter annually is a vital investment.
Keeping your air-con, if you have it, well maintained helps too – and getting it serviced will help your van smell better. If it smells stale when you turn the heating on, it could well be a sign that mould is building up in your condenser.
Flies will soon be out in force, so be sure to refill your washer fluid. Habitually washing the windscreen and headlamps when you stop for fuel is also important, as wipers won’t get rid of all the fly debris.
Old wiper blades are not only deafening, they can leave marks on the windscreen so remember to replace them regularly. After the dust that has fallen from the volcanic ash cloud, it is particularly important that you clean them regularly to avoid damaging your windscreen.

The IAM stresses that certain checks should be made regardless of the season: “Try to deal with any minor problems and repairs as they happen, as they can become very expensive if left to build up over time,” the IAM’s chief examiner Peter Rodger said.