Summer Danger: When Cars Turn Into 'Ovens'

Summer brings with it scorching heat. Leaving your car outside in the sun is a constant pain for many people. At that time, your car has turned into an "oven" with high temperatures inside, causing many dangers.

Fear of reduced vehicle life

“My car has been parked under the sun a lot lately, the speedometer has a cloudy look, the windshield has a layer of fog like steam,... I'm afraid if I leave it like this, the entire windshield will be foggy this summer, I don't know what to do?”

“My car is often parked in the office yard, without shade, without a roof, the ground is concrete, the summer is terribly hot, every time I look out and see my car exposed to the sun, I can't help but feel sorry. I just wish I could find a place to park my car with shade, so it won't be affected...”.

Such complaints appear more and more, especially when summer comes and the outdoor temperature rises.

Parking in the sun makes many people feel sorry

For many people, cars are considered an effective means of sun protection when they have to go out on hot days. However, when they park their cars outside and get sunburned, they realize their suffering.

Mr. Le Ngoc Quang, who works on Duong Dinh Nghe Street, Hanoi, said that his office has a parking garage, but there is not enough space, so if he wants to park his car in the garage, he has to go to work very early, and if he comes late, he has to leave his car on the concrete yard, exposed to the sun all day. There are many days when he fights for parking space.

He said that if he didn’t speak up, no one would understand the suffering of car drivers. If in other countries, cars are just a means of transportation, in Vietnam, they are also valuable assets. There are cars that are worth as much as a house, and certainly no one wants their “mobile home” to lose its lifespan quickly due to being left outdoors, Mr. Quang confided.

To know how hot the temperature inside the car is, just do a small experiment: take the car out to dry under the sun at 40 degrees Celsius, turn off the engine, close the doors; after 30 minutes open it, use a thermometer to measure the temperature inside. Surely the thermometer will only be close to 60 degrees Celsius.

Research by experts shows that when the outside temperature is 35 degrees Celsius, it only takes 20 minutes for the cabin of a small car to reach 50 degrees Celsius. If the time is 40 minutes, the cabin temperature reaches 65.5 degrees Celsius. For cars that have been left for a long time, the temperature can reach 70 degrees Celsius.

Many studies have shown that when the temperature increases, rubber, plastic and solvents inside the car will evaporate. The most obvious sign of an overheated car is that parts that use lubricating oil such as air conditioning control knobs, brake pedals, seat controls, etc. do not operate smoothly. Because the lubricating oil evaporates and dries, under high temperatures, these devices are difficult to use or get stuck.

Next, the rubber door gaskets will age quickly. Electrical equipment is not much affected, but if high temperatures are maintained for a long time, damage is inevitable. Overheating is the main cause of premature battery death. Temperature causes liquid to evaporate, change the concentration of the solution, the reaction occurs quickly and damages the internal structure of the battery. In particular, air pipes and coolant are easily damaged, tires are easily over-pressured, and the paint on the car's body quickly fades...

Should find sun protection measures for cars

Regularly parking your car outdoors in the hot sun can be dangerous for the driver. The air inside the car becomes a "poisonous gas chamber", which is very dangerous, due to a series of chemicals from the materials in the car being transformed and evaporated under high temperatures. Tires can easily explode, air pipes and coolant can malfunction, causing danger when the car is on the road.

Ways to minimize harm

To reduce the harmful effects of heat, when leaving the car outdoors for a long time, car users should note the following:

You should apply heat-insulating film to the entire car and always carry a reflective sunshade to protect the car from the sun.

Note: When parking in the sun, if possible, park facing the sun and use reflective sunshades to cover the rear and front windows of the car.

Press down the window at each door about 1 cm to create ventilation.

You can also install a cooling fan for your car. This is a device mounted on the car window close to the ceiling, powered by batteries or solar energy. Its operation is quite similar to a ventilation fan, helping to circulate air from inside the car to outside.

In particular, do not leave flammable objects inside the car when parked in the sun for a long time, such as: fire extinguishers, gas lighters, mobile phones, carbonated soft drinks... when exposed to high temperatures, they can easily cause the car to catch fire or explode.

Regularly check tires, measure tire pressure, check engine oil, transmission oil, steering oil, brake oil, coolant, battery. Along with that, you should wash the car, clean the interior, and clean the car compartment.

According to VNN