Summer Car Tips
The Summer heat can take a toll on both you and your vehicle. Want to keep your seat belts, steering wheels, and interiors cool, as well as your car running efficiently? Check out these Summer car tips.
1. Seat Belt Burns
Ever have a problem with the metal of the seat belt buckle being too hot to the touch and scalding you? Solve this problem by latching the seat belt again as you exit the vehicle. This will keep the metal out of the sun and help it stay cool. This is an especially important tip for car seat harnesses to keep your small children from getting burned.
2. Hot Steering Wheel or Stick Shift
Sometimes that summer sun makes the steering wheel and the stick shift much too hot to comfortably touch. One tip for helping with the steering wheel is to turn it 180 degrees before you get out of the vehicle - that way the parts you hold when you drive (10 and 2) are in the shade while you are gone! For those with standard transmissions, keep a Koozie (insulated can holder) in the glove box and use it to cover the stick while you're driving and protect your hand from touching the metal on the shifter.
3. Find Shade
Though it isn't always a possibility, and it might mean a longer walk to your destination, try to find the shadiest spot in the parking lot when leaving your vehicle for an extended amount of time. On a 70 degree sunny day, the interior of a vehicle can reach 104 degrees within 1/2 an hour, and 113 degrees after an hour. If it is 80-100 degrees out, the interior can get anywhere from 130-172 degrees. While your vehicle will still get hotter, parking out of direct sunlight will prevent such drastic rises in temperature. This will help your A/C system not have to work as hard when you get back in your vehicle and start to cool it off. If you want to spend some money, you might also consider investing in a sunshade for your car.
4. Keep Your Car Hydrated
Though good hydration and a functioning A/C are an important part of keeping YOU cool during the summer, there are a lot of fluids in your car that are important for keeping IT cool. Definitely keep an eye on coolant levels, and top off as needed. If you are having to add fluid very frequently, there may be a leak that needs to be addressed. Most other fluids (engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluids, etc) also serve as coolants of sorts to their various systems as they help direct heat away from important internal components. Make sure that all of these are topped off - or stop by for a Courtesy Check so that we can check these things for you. Your vehicle will thank you!
5. Don't Bet on Your Battery
It really isn't just the cold weather that can be hard on a battery - extreme temperatures are not friendly toward your battery, either. As heat can cause battery fluid to evaporate faster, be sure to check and keep your battery terminals cleaned from corrosive build up. A typical battery lasts 3 - 5 years (certain ones are rated for longer use). If you aren't sure when you last had a battery installed, it is a good idea to have it checked by a professional. We can also do this for you as part of our Courtesy Check when you come in to have a service done. Taking care of your battery now will help you avoid roadside breakdowns on a hot day.
Want to do more for your vehicle this summer?
Spring may be over, but it is always a good time to follow some of these cleaning tips from our Spring Cleaning blog post.