Best Summer Car Maintenance Tips

Sunstroke or heatstroke can not only affect your health but even affect the performance of your car. During the summertime, when temperatures rise above 40-degrees Celsius in many parts of the country, the heatwave can end up having a detrimental effect on your car’s performance. Things can actually get quite worse in heavy traffic when moving in slow traffic can result in the temperature of your car’s engine shooting up. This not only reduces the fuel efficiency but even the performance. Not just this, it even results in faster wear and tear of the mechanicals. Therefore, it’s imperative to safeguard your car from the sun.

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Exactly how human beings take several measures to protect themselves from the harsh sun (like sunscreen, consuming plenty of liquids, wearing light clothes), there are various preventive measures you can take to protect your car from the wrath of the Sun. Most of these measures can be taken only at the service center, but just by spending some time to take your car to the experts can actually save you from a lot of trouble at a later stage. 

Check Fluids

Just like a human being needs to stay hydrated through water and other fluids to secure themselves from the harshness of the sun, even your car needs to have good quality fluids (read: engine oil, transmission oil, brake oil, etc.) to ensure it stays healthy during the period of excessive wear and tear through heat. In case you use old engine oil that has lost its viscosity, the friction generated in the engine will be much higher. This will not only affect the performance and the fuel efficiency but can even cost permanent damage to the motor. 

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Check Radiator and Coolant

A car’s radiator is the component that keeps temperatures in check as it contains coolant whose role is to keep temperatures low. Hence, a malfunctioning radiator or a low-quality coolant will automatically lead to temperatures soaring under the hood. Hence, it’s recommended to change the coolant at manufacturer-specified intervals. In fact, it doesn’t hurt to get it changed before the summers reach their peak. Also, it’s important to get the radiator regularly serviced as soon a car gets more than three years old. 

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Check Tires

Tires are the only part of your vehicle that constantly stays in touch with the surface you travel on. Still, however, they’re often the most overlooked part of a car. As the temperatures soar, the tarmac can get quite hot, especially with the kind of friction the rolling resistance between the tyres and the road surface would generate. This is also why old tires tend to suffer a lot of punctures when being used in summer. Also, in order to keep the friction levels in check, it’s important to maintain the optimum tyre pressure. It’s also recommended to change your tires before summer approaches to avoid unnecessary trouble by getting stranded due to punctures.  

Paint Protection

The scorching sun can have a detrimental effect on the shine of your car’s paint. The high temperature generated on the paint surface from constant exposure to the UV rays can easily rob your car of that shine. Hence, it’s best to take measures to protect your car’s paint. One of these could be using a good paint protection polish that forms a protective layer on your car’s sheet metal. Basically, it works by reflecting back the UV rays and preventing damage to the paint. Also, it should be noted here that cars that have a light paint shade face less wear and tear under the sun than cars with dark paint. 

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Check Air Conditioning

Your car's AC takes an excess load during summer as it needs to work extra hard to keep the cabin cool. Hence, it’s highly recommended to get the aircon serviced before summer. During this service, the car mechanics will be able to detect any gas leak that can later cause a problem. Also, an AC system that has been serviced will surely help you keep calm in the excessive heat by maintaining the desired temperature inside the vehicle. 

Check Battery 

Higher temperatures during summer take a toll on the battery life as the fluid that is present inside the battery cells tends to get evaporated faster. Therefore, this leads to overcharging of the battery, which, in turn, leads to reduced battery life. Therefore, it’s important to get your battery checked and, if required, serviced before the summer season arrives. Most cars these days come with zero-maintenance batteries, but if you’re someone who uses an old car with an earlier battery, it’s required to go for a fluid top-up before the temperatures soar. 

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