Is hot weather bad for cars? It certainly can be, but driving in hot weather doesn’t have to damage your car. You can have a car that functions properly even if the temperature outside is unbearable. Here are a few hot weather car tips to make sure your car outlasts the summer heat.
Check your tires
First up in our hot weather car tips? Tires. Whether it’s hot, cold, or perfect outside, your tires need to work properly. But when it’s especially hot outside, your tires can actually overheat. Overheating can lead to a blowout on the road, so it’s incredibly important to keep your tires looking and working their best. To do this, check your tires regularly to make sure their not under-inflated (this includes your spare tire). While you’re checking tire pressure, go ahead and take a look at your tread, too. The better your tires are, the more likely it is that you can avoid a dangerous accident on the road.
To learn more about how to keep your tires in good condition, take a look at these resources:
- How to Be Sure Your Tires Are Safe For Summer Driving
- How To Keep Your Tires in Good Condition
- Should I Put New Tires on the Front or Back of My Car?
Check your battery
Hot weather can also have a negative impact on your car’s battery. Soaring temperatures can lead to the evaporation of your battery fluid — which is clearly problematic. Since you can’t avoid hot weather, the best thing to do is to take preventative steps. Make sure there is enough fluid at all times and consider checking in with your local mechanic. If your battery is old, get it tested regularly to make sure that it doesn’t need replacement. It’s better to have these tests done now, so you can avoid an unpleasant (and sweaty) situation in the future.
Learn more about battery replacement in Sugar Land and the greater Houston area.
Check your coolant and oil levels
When it’s hot outside, your car does everything it can to remain cool. If your car overheats, then you’re in for some trouble, especially if you were planning on driving long distances in hot weather.
It’s incredibly important to make sure your car is capable of cooling itself off. Keep a 50/50 mixture of water and coolant in the reservoir and flush this out occasionally (your vehicle’s owner’s manual should detail how many miles you should go in between flushings). Your coolant also protects your car’s components from corrosion, which becomes even more vital in the heat.
Note that the radiator can be dangerous to work around. If you’re not comfortable with DIY car maintenance, then you might want to consider taking your vehicle into the mechanic to get the coolant taken care of.
It’s also important to remember that low coolant isn’t the only fluid that can cause your car to overheat. Learn more here: Can low oil cause overheating of my vehicle?
Check your other fluids
Low coolant and low oil levels aren’t the only fluids that can lead to overheating. In fact, it’s best to make sure all your fluids, in general, are topped off at all times. These fluids work to carry heat away from the engine — but just like your battery fluid, hotter days can evaporate your other fluids, as well. So during the hotter seasons, don’t forget to have your brake fluid, power steering fluid, and motor oil checked.
Check your AC
Perhaps the most obvious of our hot weather car tips, making sure your AC is works properly your before hotter days hit is always a good idea. While this may not have a drastic impact on your car, it will have a drastic impact on you. It’s dangerous to be inside a hot car with no AC, especially if you often have children in the car. Aside from a functioning AC, consider using a windshield shade, parking in the shade, and keeping your windows cracked.
Outlast the heat with Colony One Auto Center
Does hot weather affect car performance? You bet it does. With over 250 combined years of experience and 250,000 cars serviced since 1991, the mechanics at Colony One Auto Center in Stafford, Sugar Land, and the greater Houston area have seen it all. That includes cars that have suffered through multiple Texas summers.
Don’t allow your car to succumb to hot weather. Visit Colony One Auto Center to get your car summer-ready. Give us a call at 281-800-9209 or request service online.
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