Summer is officially here, and if you live in Texas, you are certainly feeling the heat! If you plan on hitting the road for a trip, or if your car sits under the blazing sun all day, you should consider these tips on how to maintain your car cool in the hot heat of summer.
1. Check your battery
Many think that winter is tough on car batteries, but it turns out that high temperatures have a greater impact on the chemistry that generates power inside them. The sun heat hitting the hood causes the temperature underneath to escalate even more, which in turn causes failure on the battery. Inspect your battery at the beginning of summer to avoid getting stranded. The dealership where you purchased your car may offer a service to check the life of your battery. If you bought a used car, check with your used car dealership if they offer this service.
2. Keep your car in the shade
Having 100°+ degree weather – like in Houston - beating down on your car while parked, causes the temperature inside to rise steeply. Park your car in shaded areas as much as you can. If you don’t have a garage at home, try to get a shade canopy awning to cover the vehicle.
3. Use interior shades and other covers
Sunshades are a very helpful and inexpensive way of protecting the dashboard and steering wheel as they block direct sunlight from entering the vehicle. In addition to sunshades, use covers that protect surfaces from becoming so hot that they burn at the touch. A piece of light-colored fabric will reflect the boiling sunlight instead of absorbing it. Use an equally light-colored fabric to cover your steering wheel and seat belts. You may also want to cover your leather seat as these tend to heat as well.
4. Other tips to keep your car cool
- If there is no rain in the forecast, lower your windows for about an inch to keep the car ventilated and reduce the heat level inside while parked.
- To avoid burning your hands when touching the steering wheel, turn it 180° degrees before getting out of the car. The side you touch will be cooler when you return.
- When starting the engine, lower the windows to circulate the hot air and blast the AC on high for a few minutes. As soon as it cools off, close the windows. Your car will now be cool and pleasant to hit the road. Some believe that is best to have the car running for a while to warm up the engine before turning on the AC, but there is no truth to this.
- If state laws allow, tint your windows. Window tinting is very effective in lowering interior temperatures.
The Shabana Motors Difference
Maintaining your car properly is the responsibility of every owner. But driving a reliable vehicle is the obligation of the auto dealer. Fortunately, at Shabana Motors - Houston’s best used-car dealership – it is our goal to have you drive out our lot with an optimal vehicle. Every car goes through a vigorous check and gets a fresh oil change before each sale. With our 2-year/ 24,000-mile warranty, we assure you will find a reliable vehicle.
If you are searching for a dependable used car but have issues with your credit, that is no problem. With our buy-here, pay-here financing model, we provide optimal in-house financing options to suit any need. Having bad credit or no credit should not stop you from getting your Life on Drive.
Visit us or call us today at 281-994-7105 and book an appointment to test drive the dependable car you like.
