Keeping your car cool: 5 easy tips to beat the heat

As our planet continues to warm, temperatures in our warm tropical home are expected to rise. Everyone will be scrambling to find ways to beat the heat. But don’t forget that your car needs care too! Here are five key things to keep your car cool, while maintaining safety during this warm season.

Keep it cool

This really doesn’t need saying. There are many easy ways to keep your car cool. Simply find shade when you park your car, be it under a tree (but beware the bird poop!), an awning or in an indoor car park! If these are not available, use a sunshade to help keep most of the heat and rays out!

Keeping your car out of direct sunlight has the added benefit of protecting your car’s interior from sun damage. This includes your dashboard and leather seats which can fade and crack after prolonged exposure to the sun. Fabric seats are also at risk of fading and tearing after prolonged sun exposure.

Read more: Leader vs fabric seats: Which is better?
Read more: Car dashboard cleaning in 4 easy steps

Wash often and wax

As rainy and cloudy days become less frequent, our cars will be exposed to direct sunlight more often. This intense exposure can cause paint to fade and crack. To protect your car, wash it frequently to remove the dust that accumulates on your car, which can leave micro scratches that dull your car’s finish. Then top it off with a layer of wax to protect the paint and provide a glossy finish!

Read more: Polishing and Waxing: What’s the Difference?

Check tire pressure

If you haven’t checked your car’s tyre pressure in a while, now’s the time to check them. Over- or underinflated tyres have lower performance and have a high chance of blowing out. Underinflated tyres are vulnerable to this as the lower pressure causes the tyre to bounce, creating friction and heat. Combine this with the hotter roads, the tyre can suddenly pop! Overinflated tyres in contrast already are under a lot of pressure. The increased temperature from the road may cause the tyre to expand until it bursts. In either case, suddenly losing a tyre while driving is not the most pleasant experience!

Check your fluids

Much like yourself, your car needs fluids to function. So as you drink lots of water to keep yourself cool, be sure to check all of the fluids that are crucial in keeping your car running and the interior cool. Here is a list of the fluids that you might want to check:

• Motor oil – lubricates your engine
• Transmission fluid – lubricates your gearbox
• Power steering fluid – assists you in controlling the car
• Brake fluid – transfers the force of braking from the pedal to the wheels
• Engine coolant – keeps your engine cool
• Air conditioning refrigerant – keeps the car interior cool

If you need trusted and professional maintenance services, myTukar is here for you! Simply let us know what services you need and we will provide a quotation. All you need to do after that is make an appointment then drive down to our workshop and let our professional mechanics take care of your car for you.

Battery power

When the mercury climbs, you may turn on your aircon to full blast just to stay cool. This will put a lot of strain on your battery, which can cause it to wear out and fail. Just be sure to check your car battery regularly or have a trained professional do it for you. You don’t want to deal with a flat battery while stuck on the side of the road in this heat!

Read more: How to check your car battery
Read more: How to jump-start a car

While you use the above tips to keep your car cool, don’t forget to drink lots of water! If you need to get your car checked out, just head on over to a myTukar workshop where our team of professionals will take care of everything!

If you’re looking for a new ride, check out our inventory of myTukar Certified cars!