As we’ve been experiencing record-breaking heat, here are some tips to help your car make it through, according to AAA.
- Preventative maintenance is key.
Many people don’t perform preventive maintenance in the summer; however, it’s the best thing you can do to prevent a break down. Also, make sure to check what type of coolant your car requires and be extremely careful if attempting to refill your radiator, as it’s not an easy process and improper refill can cause a dangerous situation.
- Properly inflated tires are crucial.
If your tires are not properly inflated, the heat builds up in the tires, and that, combined with the heat on the road, can cause tires to explode.
- Extreme heat will take a toll on your car battery.
A little known fact: more car batteries fail in July versus January. When temperatures outside reach 90 degrees, the temperature under a car’s hood reaches upward of 140. Heat causes car battery fluid to evaporate and that can damage the internal structure of the battery as well as speed up car battery corrosion. Make sure to have the battery life checked when you take your car in for maintenance.
- What to do if your car overheats?
If your car overheats it’s indicative of a much deeper problem, as today’s cars are designed to function in extreme heat. There’s no magic fix to an overheated car either. If you’re stuck in traffic for an extended period of time, the best thing to do is to keep everything flowing under the hood, by putting the car in neutral and revving the engine a bit to get the water pump circulating more coolant through the engine.
Poking around under the hood in an overheated condition can cause extreme burns and potential for loss of sight or worse. Also, do not open the hood during extreme weather events.
- AAA Members
If you’re a AAA member, and find yourself in car trouble on the road, call 1-800-AAA-HELP. Also, if you’re experiencing battery problems, AAA will come, test and diagnose your battery, and replace it on the spot.
