Tips for Monsoon Driving

For your Car : -
Electrical system : Make sure that loose electrical connections of your car are repaired. Exposed wires, if any, should be properly insulated. Coat battery terminals with petroleum jelly (not grease) and use a waterproofing spray to keep the electrical system moisture-free.

Tyres : Ensure that all the tyres have at least 2mm of tread depth and have sufficient tyre pressure to prevent skidding. A cracked tyre should be replace immediately.

Car body Care : Apply anti-rust coating specially on the under body of the car and attend to all the scratches and dents on the surface of the paint immediately to prevent corrosion. Apply wax on the car body as it forms a protective layer increasing the life of the car.

Engine Care : Ensure that the engine is well serviced and watertight. Either use a spray to eliminate the monsoon moisture or unscrew the plugs and wipe them dry with a piece of cloth.

Interiors : Most carpets rust the floorboards. Place old mast or newspapers on the carpet as they will soak up the dirty water, and keep the floorboard and the floor fittings dry. Vacuum your car interiors regularly to reduce the moisture and to keep your car smelling fresh.

Wipers :Hard and cracked wiper blades cause scratches on the windshield and reduce visibility. Get new, non-streaking blades, and use soap solution instead of plain water for windshield cleaning. It will increase the visibility when it pours.

Brakes : Get new break calipers as old and rusty brakes tend to fail when wet. Regular cleaning keeps the brakes dry and improves their efficiency.

For you : -
Drive slow : At high speeds, the rains create a fine sheet of water between the tyre and the read surface, which causes loss of control. Slow driving enables the tyre grooves to clear this film out thus increasing the traction.

Keep the Headlights on : When driving in rain, switch the headlights on at a low beam. It will increase your visibility and allow other drivers to notice you from a distance.

Windshield Defogging : Direct the air towards windscreen and other glassy surfaces, it will increase the visibility during rains. However, if your car doesn't have and air-conditioner or heater, keep the windows slightly rolled down.

Spare Fuse : Fuse tend to fail when moist. Always keep a spare electrical fuse if you don't want to get stranded in a heavy downpour.

Keep Raincoat or umbrella : Keep a raincoat or umbrella in the car at all times, as you never know when you may need to step out in the rain

I would add : keep the FOG lights on . Lot of people now have the HID white XENONS and they are not as good as yellow. SO keep the fog lights to yellow and then turn them on when its raining

Something i would also like to add...after wading through water, cleanse the brakes by applying some pressure on the brake pedal while accelerating, it will wipe the water off the discs so that the the next time you brake you get optimum braking, in some cases(especially in the case of non-ventilated solid discs), the water gets in between the brake pad and the discs which causes some delay in braking force..!