As pleasant as warm weather can be to humans, it can increase your car’s risk of overheating
Photo: Pixabay
Whether you live in a place that experiences extreme heat or you plan on road-tripping to one in the near future, you’ll want to reduce your car’s risk of overheating. Here are some helpful tips to prevent this unfortunate scenario.
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Use window shades
This nifty sunshade from Amazon is an affordable investment to help protect your dashboard from sun damage and keep your car cooler
Photo: Amazon
Invest in a sunshade for the windshield to help block UV rays, keep the cabin area a bit cooler, and protect the dashboard from sun damage. If you live in a particularly warm climate, you might also consider getting custom-made shades for the side windows.
It might be a no-brainer, but parking your vehicle in a car garage or in the shade will keep your car’s interior cooler.
Use the floor air vents
When you get in your car on a warm day, turn on the floor air vents rather than the dashboard ones. This will help push hot air up and out of the car faster.
Go with the AC instead of the recirculation setting
Make sure to use your car’s air conditioning system on the AC setting for about 10 minutes, before switching to the recirculation setting. That way, you don’t just recirculate hot air.
Keep an eye on the temperature gauge
Temperature gauges monitor the car’s engine, letting you know when it starts to get too warm
Photo: © General Motors
Car gauges on the dashboard are useful for displaying important vehicle diagnostics. Keep an eye on your car’s temperature gauge to make sure the engine is at a healthy temperature and isn’t getting too hot.
Schedule coolant flushes
Regular coolant flushes are crucial for helping prevent your car from overheating. Your Mechanic recommends performing this service every 50,000 miles.
Make sure the battery has enough juice
If it’s been a while since you replaced your car’s battery — like more than 3 years — invest in a new one. A new battery has sufficient power to energize your car and help cool it when it starts to overheat, while a low battery is less capable of preventing your car from overheating.
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Whitney Russell resides in Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not crafting car-related content, she can be found chasing after the most amazing toddler in the world, watching her “beaver” of a husband build amazing woodworking projects, hanging out with two crazy dogs, and visiting family and friends. She also enjoys traveling, crafting, and binge-watching period dramas when time allows. See more articles by Whitney.
