It is a hot summer day in the Capital Area. People and their vehicles are definitely feeling the heat.
“The most common things that can be affected by heat are things like your cooling system dealing with your radiator, water pumps running at higher pressures because of more ambient heat, and it’s more of a latent heat that is harder to disapate through those systems,” explained Graham Black, the manager and mechanic of Siegen Car Care.
Black said it is important to get a check-up during the summer months because extreme temperatures can affect parts including batteries and tires.
“Some times are real hot days and you turn your car off, maybe you smell a kind of a rotten egg smell. It’s a good indicator that your battery is suffering due to heat,” explained Black. “Tires are made out of petroleum. So, you do have oils that eventually do evaporate and that can lead to dry rot, and again, during the summer the streets are hot. They’ve been baking in the sun all day, and then, just that rotational friction of driving your car raises tire temperatures as well.”
Also, sitting in traffic can have an impact on your vehicle. For those of you planning a road trip, listen up.
“The best recommendation I can make is to have your car checked. Make sure your belts aren’t cracking like we talked about with tires, so you’re not in danger of a blow out due to dry rot issues. Ask to have the vehicle pressure tested. So if there’s a leak you don’t know about yet, you don’t find out when you’re half way to your destination and your at the mercy of a shop out of town,” concluded Black.
Another tip, plan ahead and do not wait until the day before your trup to get a check-up.