9 useful tips for drivers using cars on hot days
With the hot weather of summer, drivers need to pay more attention to their cars to ensure daily use is safe and avoid unnecessary risks.
Summer in Vietnam is often very hot and harsh, high outdoor temperatures greatly affect cars: car parts, cooling system, air conditioning... so we need to pay special attention to car care.
According to some studies, if the outdoor temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius, then within 20 minutes, the corresponding temperature in the car cabin can reach 50 degrees Celsius (when the air conditioner is not on).
After 40 minutes, the cabin temperature can reach 60 - 70 degrees Celsius, which can accidentally become a harmful agent. To limit unwanted incidents, as well as unnecessary risks, car owners need to pay attention to some of the following.
1. You should find a shady, covered place to park your car.
When you park your car in the sun for a long time and continuously, it will greatly affect the paint of the car. Not only that, the sunlight also increases the temperature in the car, affecting and reducing the durability of plastic and leather parts, causing them to deteriorate quickly, and at the same time, secreting unpleasant odors containing Benzel.
Therefore, if you often have to park your car under the sun, you should choose a place with shade or a house with a roof. If not, you can use a specialized cloth to cover the car or a sun-proof cover available on the market to protect the car, especially the interior.
Or you can apply heat-resistant film to help block most of the ultraviolet rays from sunlight and reduce a significant amount of radiant heat through the car windows.
2. Avoid thermal shock
Summer weather is often very hot and at that time the temperature in the car if left under the sun will be much higher (according to calculations, if the outside temperature is about 35 - 40 degrees Celsius, the temperature in the car under the sun can reach 70 degrees Celsius or more). Therefore, if your car is parked under the sun for too long, you should not get in the car immediately after opening the door because it can cause heat shock, dizziness, affecting your health. Even rapid heartbeat, fainting or stroke. Especially for people with a history of high blood pressure, it is even more dangerous.
Therefore, in case the car is parked in the sun for a long time, open the window or car door for a while before sitting in.
At the same time, when you first get into the car from the hot sun, you should gradually adjust the temperature down and operate it slowly, instead of setting the temperature to the lowest or operating the fan at the highest level. Because that will cause the cooling system to overload, consume fuel and quickly break down.
In addition, the difference in temperature inside the car and outside will also affect health, making you susceptible to colds and affecting the respiratory tract.
3. Do not leave flammable objects in the car.
In hot weather conditions, gas cylinders, pain-relieving sprays, perfumes, lighters, power banks, electronic devices with batteries... and some other types of chemicals containing gas are the most flammable or explosive when the temperature rises. Therefore, in case of parking under the summer sun, you should remove these items to avoid unfortunate events.
In addition, you should also prepare a mini fire extinguisher in your car in case of an explosion so you can handle it promptly.
However, you must also keep those fire extinguishers very carefully, otherwise they will also pose a risk to the car as well as the people inside. In particular, do not leave fire extinguishers near places where the sun can shine, such as the trunk, the front dashboard or the storage tray under the rear window of small cars.
4. Do not leave food or medicine in the car.
Some car owners have the habit of bringing food into the car, however, with hot weather, many types of food are easily damaged, spoiled or even degraded after a short time in the car. This will unintentionally cause your car to smell. Therefore, car owners need to limit this.
Along with food, medicine is also something that we should limit leaving in the car on hot days because it is often recommended to keep medicine in dry, cool places, away from direct sunlight or in an environment with a temperature below 25 degrees Celsius is best... Therefore, leaving medicine in the car on hot days will cause the medicine to lose its effectiveness or even be harmful.
5. Check the air conditioner
If you do not want to suffer from the heat caused by a broken air conditioner, please check and maintain this system before the summer comes. Because after a long time of use, the air conditioning system is easily affected by poor cooling due to dirt or gas loss, gas leakage...
Therefore, you should have the air conditioner filter checked, cleaned or replaced, the cooling system checked, the outer surface of the radiator and condenser cleaned. Check the amount of air conditioner gas is sufficient or lacking and the operating condition of the condenser. According to the standards of some car manufacturers, the air conditioner filter should be replaced every 15,000 km, and checked and cleaned every 5,000 km.
6. Check engine cooling system
Before the summer comes, take your car to the garage to check the coolant, pipes, radiator, rubber parts, if you find cracks, you need to fix or replace. Because the temperature increases, the engine temperature will also increase and the coolant can be lost faster.
More importantly, the cooling system is one of the important parts that helps to cool and release engine temperature. If not ensured, it is very dangerous for your vehicle.
Minimize the risk of overheating your car's engine. Make sure your engine's cooling system is in top working order to take care of your car's engine efficiently. By cleaning the radiator, you can keep it free of debris and improve the vehicle's airflow and heat exchange to ensure that the cooling process is smooth.
7. Check the tires
Tires are also a part of your car that you need to pay attention to in the summer. Tires are the part that directly contacts the road surface, so when the temperature increases, it will also affect the tires quite a bit. At the same time, tires are made of rubber, so parking under the hot sun continuously will also affect the durability, causing the tires to oxidize quickly... Therefore, you need to check the surface and tire pressure regularly; Especially before long trips that require driving for a long time.
8. Check the battery
On hot days, the solution in the battery easily evaporates. Therefore, you must regularly check the battery to add solution in time to avoid unnecessary damage. In addition, keep the battery cap clean because dirt can become a conductor that drains the solution in the battery.
9. Minimize the direct effects of sunlight
You can also minimize damage to equipment or the temperature in your car during hot weather by some simple ways: Apply heat-insulating film, pre-made covers, park your car in the shade or cover it with a heat-resistant tarpaulin.../.
