Community
9 October, 2023
Handy tips for warmer weather
WITH the warmer months almost here, now is the time to look at ways to keep your vehicle cool and in good condition.
Many people think winter is the most ‘testing’ time for vehicles – however, the warmer months of spring and summer throw up just as many challenges.
To help preserve your car’s value and ensure you enjoy safe, comfortable and trouble-free motoring there are a few ‘handy hacks’ to try.
When it comes to looking after your car’s paintwork, make sure you wash it regularly and pay particular attention to any signs of bird poo.
This is an unfortunate and unwelcome by-product of warm weather.
If you park under trees which have plenty of leaves on them, chances are they will also be home to a wide variety of birdlife – and no doubt they will have your vehicle in their sights.
Bird poo is very acidic and as soon as it lands on your car it goes to work burning a blemish into its paintwork.
Clean it off as soon as you can. If you have some water and a cloth handy, get to work at removing the poo.
Parking under trees also poses the danger of sap dripping onto your vehicle. These tiny, sticky droplets don’t just attract dust and dirt on your paintwork they (like bird poo) are also acidic and harmful to your paint.
The best thing you can do is to clean it off as soon as you notice it. Hose the car down then use warm water with a car shampoo to remove the sap.
While there is often nothing more refreshing than driving with your window down, you may find that your car’s air conditioner is your best friend – particularly during the warmest hours of the day.
To cool an interior quickly, first open all the car doors and windows before turning the air conditioner on.
A closed car can get very hot so this will let some of that hot air escape before the cool air enters.
When turning on the air conditioning make sure the recirculating button isn’t pressed as this will allow air to come in from outside.
When you start driving, keep the windows down for a few minutes and switch the air conditioner so that the air is blasting through the lower vents. As heat rises this will help push the hot air up and out of the windows.
Once the air coming through the vents feels significantly cooler than the air outside, put all the windows up.
Once you have done this then switch the air con to recirculating – this will keep the cool conditioned air in the car and the air con won’t need to work as hard (or use up as much fuel).
Make sure you also keep a bottle of water in your boot at all times. This is especially important during the warmer months.
Stop-start traffic in warm weather can put your car’s cooling system to the test.
It’s fine to use water as an emergency top-up for coolant if you notice it running low and don’t have a spare bottle of coolant in the boot.
