Last updated: September 2025
As the weather starts to take a turn for the worse here in the UK, it's probably a good idea to take a look over your VW and make sure it's ready for driving in the wet and wintry conditions we can expect for the next few months.
To help make this a bit less daunting, we've put together a whole suite of useful products and tasks to make driving in the autumn and winter safer, easier and more comfortable, which can totally transform how your classic or modern Volkswagen copes with the unpredictable weather which is just around the corner.
JK's Top Ten Jobs to Get Your VW Ready for Autumn and Winter Weather
Check and Upgrade Your Lights
With the nights getting longer and the mornings being darker, now is a great time to take a look at the lights on your Volkswagen. Are all the bulbs still working? Have you got spares stashed away in your glovebox? Are they bright enough for you to see and be seen in fog or heavy rain?
If you find you need spare bulbs, or want to upgrade the lights on your VW, then you're in the right place – Just Kampers has a huge range of lights, bulbs, and lighting accessories, ready to ship from our warehouse here in Odiham, Hampshire.
Video: JK's LED Rear Light Upgrade Kits
Take a Look At Your Wipers
It's a good idea to make sure that your VW's wipers are in good working order before you really need them, so give the wiper arms and blades a proper check before they start working overtime!
It's easy to spot worn or perished wiper blades, and just as easy to swap them out for new ones, so spend five minutes looking yours over so you can stay safe during the autumn and winter.
Service or Upgrade Your Brakes
Puddles, wet leaves, ice, mud, snow - autumn and winter here in the UK is full of hazards which can increase your stopping distances, so before the bad weather sets in, it's a good idea to make sure that your brakes are in top condition with a proper service.
If you're keeping your classic VW on the road through the winter (good on you!) then it's worth looking at a brake upgrade kit, to help ensure your Volkswagen is stopping safely and in good time!
Fix Up Your Classic's Heating
'Fix your heat exchangers while the sun shines’ could be the ‘Make hay while the sun shines’ for the VW community – the original heating system in classic VWs is surprisingly effective when it’s in working order.
Over the years, some of your components may have stopped working, or you (or a previous owner) may have swapped the heat exchangers out for J Tubes.
If you plan on driving your classic Volkswagen through the winter (and you should, they want to be driven and they can handle the bad weather pretty effectively!) then getting the heating working before you actually need it is our advice.
Video: How To Refresh Your VW T2's Heat Exchangers & Exhaust System
Consider an Auxiliary Heater
If you want to make more use of your Volkswagen over the winter, whether that’s an off-season camping adventure or just driving to and from work, you might want to check out an auxiliary heater.
These generally run on gas, diesel, or both, and can turn your camper from a fridge-on-wheels into a cosy home away from home during the winter.
Whether you want a heater which you can program to heat up the inside of your VW before you commute to work in the morning, or you want to experience camping while the campsites are quiet and the landscape is totally different, an auxiliary heater can be a quick and efficient way to massively improve the usability of your VW.
Fitting one during the summer will generally be easier than doing so during the winter, as you won’t need to scrabble about under the vehicle when your drive is covered in puddles!
Video: Fitting a Diesel Heater to Your Camper
Treat Your VW to Underseal
A great way to prepare your VW for the wet and muddy winter months is to give the underside of it a proper clean and then coat it with underseal once it's dry.
This will create a barrier between the metalwork underneath your vehicle and all the water, ice, snow, mud, road salt, and puddles found all over the roads during the winter. All of these can cause serious rust and corrosion in your vehicle, which can be entirely prevented if you treat it properly with underseal.
Video: How To Prevent Rust On Your Classic By Using Cavity Wax
Vehicle Covers
We've got a whole range of different vehicle covers in stock here at Just Kampers, to help you protect your VW from the elements over the winter. From simple dust covers for your VW Beetle, through to luxury breathable van covers for modern VW Transporters which include zipped door-access points!
Create a Breakdown Kit
Breakdowns can strike at any time, but being stuck at the side of the road is usually much worse in the cold, dark, and wet of winter.
Creating a breakdown kit for your VW, with some essential tool and safety equipment, means you'll be safer while you wait, and will have a better chance of getting back on the road when help does arrive.
We've written a whole other blog about how to create a breakdown kit for your VW, and you can see a few key items you might want to add below:
Double Check Your Antifreeze
Antifreeze is a key component of your engine cooling system. It contains a balance of chemical component that lower the freezing temperature of the coolant fluid, prevent the water in your engine from freezing under normal weather conditions. As well as this, it raises the boiling point of the coolant, meaning that it's far less likely to boil over.
Video: Which is the Right Anti-Freeze for Your VW?
