Driving in the monsoon can be enjoyable but also challenging, with damaged roads, rough weather and waterlogging. Attend your carmaker’s monsoon car care workshops, and follow these basic preparatory measures to protect your car from the elements:

1. Make sure you’re plugged in: Check to confirm that your car’s cabin drain hole plugs are in place. Missing plugs can let water into the car, even in light rain.

2. Park right: Find a ventilated area to park in the monsoon. Keeping your car covered outdoors in the rain traps moisture and leads the panels to rust. A basement parking with good drainage or a stilt parking is suitable.

3. Tread carefully: Ensure the tyre tread (the protruding part that is in contact with the road) is not worn down, because this can cause ‘aquaplaning’, where you lose control of the car on a wet surface.

4. Get the pressure right: Inflate your tyres precisely to the level prescribed by the manufacturer. Driving on over-inflated or under-inflated tyres can affect stability on wet roads.

5. Ensure a clean sweep: Check and preferably replace your wiper blades at the start of each monsoon – rubber hardens over time and makes a wiper less effective, leaving streaks on the windscreen even after a sweep.

6. Maintain fluid levels: Ensure you have enough windshield washer fluid, and add a little dishwashing liquid to the washer tube to keep the window clean. Remove sun-films as it’s unlikely to be too sunny in the day and these can create a problem at night.

7. Seal your car: Check that the rubber beading on the door fits firmly against the glass. If it comes loose, water could seep in and cause rust, electrical failure and locking problems.

8. Always keep food handy: Always keep enough reserve fuel and some non-perishable snacks and bottled water with you. Long-lasting, high-energy foods like granola bars or dry fruits are ideal emergency foods.

9. Plan for an emergency: Keep a first-aid kit, torch and umbrella with you. Waterlogging may block doors and make it difficult to exit the car. You can remove your seat headrest and use the long metal fitting to smash a window, but some people also prefer to keep a hammer handy.

10. Keep your car smelling fresh: Rains can make create foul odours in the A/C vents and the cabin, especially since moisture causes fungal growth. Try using washable car mats, and get an air-freshener for the A/C, besides some sachets of silica gel in the car to control fungus.