How to Protect Your Car From a Heat Wave |
|---|
|
Dan Hinchee
April 30, 2014
Extreme temperatures or heat waves are certainly not good for your car. Several things could easily go wrong and in some cases possible problems that could have occurred anyway tend to be drastically accelerated and magnified. These could pose serious danger to you as you use your car even as it damages parts in your vehicle. It therefore makes a lot of sense to be extra careful when temperatures are high. Protecting your car from a heat wave is simple if you follow these basic precautions.
Park your car in the coolest spots possible.
Contrary to common belief your car can be affected even if it is stationary. Make sure that you move it and park in the coolest places possible making every effort to avoid direct sunlight on your car where possible. Apart from certain parts in the car being damaged, heat can easily cause too much gas to evaporate from your fuel tank.
Protect your battery
Heat damages car batteries and is in fact the single factor most responsible for shortened battery life in a car. If the shade under which you are parking your car is limited, do your best to ensure that the front end (where the battery is) is parked under a shade or the coolest part of the parking area available.
Use your windshield wipers more frequently
During heat waves it is advisable to go out of your way to use your windshield wipers more frequently. The heat could cause the wipers to stick to your windshield which will damage them when you get round to using them because rather than wiping they will smear your windshield when they pull loose from the surface of your windshield. Using your washers to spray the windshield also helps cool down the wiper.
Take care of your tires
Tires that are not properly inflated as the heat soars can easily blow out. This can be extremely dangerous if you are traveling at high speed or on a busy road. It is therefore extremely important to constantly check your tire pressure during heat waves.
Do not strain the transmission
It is easy for the transmission to heat up, causing friction and heat and ultimately serious damage to your transmission system and other parts of the car. You must therefore avoid straining your transmission at all costs when temperatures are high. For instance, avoid towing anything.
Have your car checked
It is a good idea to have your car thoroughly checked when the heat sets in. The high temperatures will tend to put a lot of strain on different parts of the car and accelerate mechanical problems that may have already been developing. The result of this is that you are much more likely to experience a sudden breakdown as you are driving out. Having the car checked with special emphasis on areas that the heat will tend to affect the most will help you avoid car trouble on the road.