SUMMER AUTO CARE TIPS
The summer months can present some issues for your vehicle if you don’t keep up on routine maintenance. Getting your car ready for the summer doesn’t have to be expensive, but it is crucial if you want to stay cool in your vehicle all summer long.
The extreme heat of the summer months can not only cause mechanical issues for your vehicle, but it can also fade your paint, crack your dashboard and several other heat related damages. One of the first things to ensure that you and your vehicle will stay cool during the summer is checking the coolant system.
This not only means checking the coolant fluid to make sure it’s full, but also checking the hoses and coolant reservoir. You never know when they have sprung leak or there could be a hole in the reservoir. When you go to inspect these components of your vehicle, make sure that it is cool and has not been running within the last couple hours.
For safety reasons, you don’t want to be touching anything inside the engine bay when it has just been driven and is hot. When you are inspecting the hoses, check all the connection points and joints, be sure to feel the hoses to make sure they are firm and not soft or squishy.
Another obvious component to look over for summertime is the air conditioning system in your vehicle. If you noticed that during the winter you turned on the AC or the defrost didn’t seem to be working correctly, before the summer gets too hot, it’s time to get it fixed. It could be a simple refrigerant recharger, or you may not have enough refrigerant in the system because you have a leak. Either way, you don’t want to take the chance of driving in the extreme heat of the summer without proper functioning air conditioning.
The next thing recommended to be looked at is the tires. During the summertime, you are likely to travel more and go on extended road trips, it’s important that your tires be ready for this kind of mileage. With tires, it’s important to make sure you keep up with them year-round, and check for any cracks, sidewall damage, or uneven wearing of the tread. It’s crucial that you have the tires rotated at least every 3,000-5,000 miles, to keep the tread wearing even and get the best use out of your tires. During the winter, many maintenance upkeeps get tossed to the side because it’s simply too cold, but once it’s warm you should start planning when to examine your tires and other details of your car.
Then lastly, it’s best to do an overall check of the different fluids, belts and other important parts of your vehicle. Check and top off all the fluids in your car, windshield washer fluid, oil, brake fluid, and power-steering fluid, you never know when one of these might be getting low.
Getting your vehicle ready for summer doesn’t have to be a big project or a big expense out of your pocket. With the tips mentioned here, you should be able to quickly and cheaply get your vehicle ready to take on the summer heat.