Ever wondered, why new lovers prefer to ride off into the sunset?
It’s probably because they want to avoid being roasted alive inside their car under the sweltering summer sun! They’d surely start out on their journey together much earlier in the day, if only they knew how simple it was to keep their car comfortably cool in the summers.
Here’s a quick look at the 8 hacks that can help you and your car beat the heat this summer:
To keep your car from reaching scorching temperatures:
- Park in the shade
When a car is parked in the sun for an extended period, its interior starts to heat up. In the direct sunlight, things like the steering wheel, leather seats, and the exposed metal in the seat-belts can get hot enough to burn the skin! Keep the temperature inside your car down by parking it in a shaded area or garage.
- Use sunshades
Since glass does not absorb heat very well, sunlight easily pours into the car from the windows and windshields and the heat builds up, unable to escape. Use sunshades or visors for the windows and the windshield to prevent the interior of your car from heating up like a sauna on four wheels.
- Leave the windows open
Even on cool days, cars can heat up by more than 40 degrees within an hour. Avoid the hot car problem by rolling down the windows just an inch to provide some ventilation. Pair this hack with an inexpensive solar-powered fan for best results.
- Drape the seats
For a cooler interior, place cloth covers on the car seats. Use lighter colors as they absorb less heat from the sun than the dark colors do. Draping the seats with wet towels also works well.
- Slam the door
Roll down a car window while you open and close the door opposite from it. Since hot air rises above cooler air, it’ll be expelled from the car and replaced with air of ambient temperature.
- Sprinkle some water
Place a few drops of water on the hot surfaces of the car that you need to touch. Alternatively, you can wipe them down with a damp cloth. The water will absorb the surrounding heat and evaporate, making the hot surfaces like the steering wheel less painful to touch.
- Use the bottom vents
When you get in your car, resist the urge to turn on the upper circulation vents to get the air flowing. Use the bottom vents to push out all the trapped hot air up and out of the windows. Also, ensure that your car’s air conditioner is set to draw fresh air from outside and not to re-circulate the hot stale air.
- Check the coolant
If your car doesn’t cool down after 7-10 minutes, it could be a sign of overheating. The car engine runs the risk of overheating if there isn’t enough coolant (antifreeze). To determine whether the coolant level is low, check the coolant reservoir under the hood, but remember to wait for the engine to cool down before you top it up.
Summertime is truly magical. Have appropriate car insurance riders in place to save yourself from sticky situations and ruin fun time. If it weren’t for the blistering heat, going for a drive during this time could prove to be a really wonderful and worthy experience.
Remember, once the summer is done with, your car will need a different type of care. Yes, you need to gear up for monsoons too. Until then, follow the above hacks this summer to keep your car from turning into an oven and to get the most out of its time under the sun.
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