As we are in the heat of the summer, your car’s interior can get very warm very quickly. It is a good time to remind everyone not to leave your kids, elderly loved ones, or pets in the car for any length of time, especially with the windows closed. It only takes a couple of minutes for a car to start to heat up and cause a problem for anyone in the car who cannot take care of themselves.
With the hotter weather, another thing you need to watch out for is your engine overheating. Engines do run hot even in cold weather, and if there is a mechanical defect, your car can overheat even in the middle of winter. However, cars are 50% more likely to overheat when the weather is warm, and overheating is one of the leading causes of breakdowns in the summer months. We are going to give you some tips on how to keep the interior of your from getting too hot and how to avoid overheating your engine.
Park your car in a shady area. While looking for a parking space, look for an area with shade. This will prevent the interior of your car from getting so hot it becomes difficult to even touch the seats or the steering wheel. It is often difficult to find a shady spot, and even if you do, the chances those spots are free are low. Keep window shades in your car, specifically shades that block UV light. This way, even if you can’t find a shady spot, your car’s interior will be protected from the heat and even protect the interior from the damaging effects of the sun.
Leave your car’s windows slightly open. Hot air rises. If you keep your windows open very slightly, you are giving the rising heat a chance to escape. Better yet, if you have a sunroof, keep that slightly ajar. A couple of things about keeping your windows open: 1 – Be aware of where you are. If you think an open window is an invitation for thieves or vandals, keep the windows shut. 2 – Weather can change in a heart beat in the summer, especially on particularly hot and humid days. Check the weather to make sure no rain is expected, especially if you are leaving a sunroof open. Another note about hot air rising. If you have floor vents, your best bet for cooling your car down is to open the floor vents to push the air out.
Use the fresh air setting on your Air Conditioner. If you set your AC to recirculate, you are cutting off the air from the outside and all you are doing is moving the hot air around on the inside, so it will take more time to cool your car down.
Watch the temperature gauge. Keep an eye on your temperature gauge as you are driving. Once the car is warmed up, the temperature gauge should remain right in the middle of the scale, even in the summer. As soon as it starts to creep into the hot area, pull over and let the car cool down. If the car runs hot, it can cause serious damage even if the car doesn’t immediately break down.
Turn on the heat. It may seem counterintuitive to turn on your heat in the middle of summer, however, by turning the heat on, you are pulling heat away from the engine giving the engine an opportunity to cool down. Obviously, you don’t want to go through the whole summer running your heater to keep your engine cool, but it is a good trick to be aware of if you suddenly find your car running hot. This is a great tip for long road trips where you may find yourself many miles away from the closest service station.
Add Coolant. Before going on a road trip, or even out to run errands, open your hood and look for the coolant reservoir. Look at the markings on your reservoir to see if there is a “Cold Fill” line and a “Hot fill” line. If your coolant is low and your engine is cold, add more. You can add coolant to the reservoir or you can add it directly to the radiator. Never add coolant to a hot engine, as the liquid can instantly vaporize and cause serious burns. If your car is cold, you can loosen the cap on the radiator to release the pressure, then remove the cap entirely to add coolant. When you are done, the coolant should be up to the Cold Fill line. If you have to add coolant frequently, it means the engine is quickly burning through the coolant, or there is a leak and you should have your car’s radiator checked.
There are several reasons a car may overheat. First, if your coolant is too low, your engine could start to run hot. The problem could be a leak if the cooling system or there could be a blockage stopping the coolant from properly circulating. There could also be a problem with the pump preventing proper circulation.
The problem doesn’t necessarily need to be the coolant. The thermostat regulates the temperature by adjusting the amount of coolant running through the engine. If the thermostat is broken, it may not allow enough coolant into the engine causing the engine to overheat.
If your car is low on motor oil, you can also start to overheat the car since motor oil also removes excess heat from the engine.
If your car is overheating or even running hot, call us to make an appointment for us to check your cooling system. The problem is more serious than a hot interior, a car that overheats doesn’t just break down needing an immediate repair, it causes long-term problems for your car shortening its operational life.
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