September for most of us means getting back into your normal routine after summer holidays. Whether you’re commuting to work, tackling the school run or doing both, you’ll probably notice busier roads and more time spent behind the wheel.

While you can’t avoid the traffic, you can make driving easier, safer and more cost-effective by preparing your car for the autumn months ahead.

Check your car after summer

If you’ve covered plenty of miles over the summer for road trips, holidays and festivals, now is a great time to make sure your car is ready for everyday driving.

A quick vehicle check can help spot small issues before they become bigger, more expensive problems, which isn’t what you want when you’re busy buying the kids back to school essentials!

Book a Free 5-Point Car Check

A Halfords Free 5-Point Car Check covers key safety items including:

  • Tyres
  • Battery
  • Bulbs
  • Fluid levels
  • Windscreen wipers

Available at your local Halfords store, it’s a quick and convenient way to check that your car is road-ready, particularly if you’ve been covering a lot of miles and your car’s fluid levels, battery and tread depth might be low.

Make the most of your Motoring Club membership

If you’re a Halfords Motoring Club Premium member, you receive two 10-Point Car Checks every year. These checks include everything included in a 5-point car check, but a lot more covered:

  • Headlight & brake light check
  • Wiper blade condition check
  • Battery health check
  • Tyre depth check
  • Tyre inflation check & top-up
  • Windscreen chip check
  • MOT due date reminder (UK only)
  • Oil level check
  • Screen wash top up
  • AdBlue & coolant check

It’s an easy way to keep on top of your cars main components, and as a Premium member of Halfords Motoring Club, getting two of these checks a year is a great way to keep on top of things throughout the year. If you’re not already a Premium member, you can sign up here.

Save fuel on your commute

Heavy traffic and stop-start driving can increase fuel consumption, especially during the morning rush when most people are hitting the road too.

A few simple habits can help you use less fuel:

  • Drive smoothly and avoid harsh acceleration or braking to help your fuel go further
  • Keep your speed below 65mph where appropriate
  • Check your tyre pressures regularly, poorly inflated tyres can cause strain on your vehicle
  • Remove unnecessary weight from your vehicle, including unused roof boxes or bike racks to reduce drag

Small changes can make a noticeable difference over time, and if you’re looking for the lowest price fuel in your area, this handy website can point your wheels in the right direction. For more advice, read our guide to saving fuel.

Get ready for the school run

If your daily routine includes the school run, it’s worth checking that your child’s car seat is still suitable. Children must use the correct child car seat until they’re either 135cm tall (150cm in the Republic of Ireland), or 12 years old, whichever comes first.

As children grow, they may need a larger seat. If you’d rather buy once, many multi-stage car seats are designed to grow with your child and can be suitable from birth through to around 12 years old.

Not sure which seat you need? Our Car Seat Buyer’s Guide can help you choose the right option.

Beat the traffic with a sat nav

A dedicated sat nav can help make your commute less stressful. Most mobile phones can connect to modern cars, if they don’t already have a sat nav integrated, but if you’re driving an older vehicle, or you’re riding a motorbike then a sat nav is a must.

Many sat nav models offer:

  • Live traffic updates
  • Road closure and roadworks alerts
  • Alternative routes to avoid delays
  • Accurate turn-by-turn navigation
  • New roads
  • Wi-Fi updates
  • Voice activation

At Halfords, we stock a range of sat navs from trusted brands such as Garmin and TomTom to suit every type of journey, helping you to get from A to B uninterrupted.

Start September prepared

Whether you’re commuting to work, doing the school run or simply driving more as summer comes to an end, a little preparation can make every journey easier. At Halfords, we’ve got plenty of other things to help your commute run smoothly, including:

Halfords Motoring Club

By joining the Halfords Motoring Club today, you’ll get access to a range of amazing benefits and discounts that are designed to keep you moving, keep you safe, and keep you saving all year round.

Free Halfords Motoring Club Membership includes:

  • Money off your MOT.
  • A free 10-point car health check.
  • A welcome voucher that can be spent on any Halfords product or service.

Or upgrade to our Premium membership (£5.49 monthly/£54 yearly) to unlock:

  • An included MOT.
  • 5% off all motoring services and products online and across our stores, garages, and Halfords Mobile Expert.
  • 2 x 10-point car safety checks, worth £15 each.
  • Even more exclusive member bargains and benefits.

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