The air is heating up, flowers are in full bloom, and you just said farewell to your heavy coat. It’s time to bust out the flip-flops and plan a well-deserved summer getaway. But as the summer months approach, it’s important to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape to handle the heat. So before you throw the towels and sunscreen in the back seat, below are few ways to summer-ize your car.
Air Conditioning
A poor A/C system could turn your breezy interior into a high school locker room. It’s best to have your A/C inspected before the start of the summer for leaks, a clogged condenser, and cracked hoses. Refrigerant is the fuel to your A/C unit, and one leak in the system could deplete refrigerant levels and cause an overall malfunction in your system.
Radiator
Your vehicle’s radiator acts as the engine’s voice of reason, keeping the engine calm, cool and collected when it’s on the verge of overheating. This is why you’ll find them side-by-side under the hood of most vehicles. When your engine heats up, the combustion process produces hot coolant. The radiator fan blows outside air across thin tubes that store the hot coolant, thus transferring heat. Before you hit the road, have your radiator inspected to ensure that tubes aren’t blocked and that there are no loose or leaking coolant hoses. A failing radiator could cause components in your vehicle to melt and produce smoke.
Tires
A surefire way to add unnecessary time and stress to a road trip is having a tire blowout against hot pavement. It’s no secret that temperature impacts the air pressure in your tires. As a general rule, your tires will increase or decrease by 1 PSI for every 10 degree change in temperature. If the air pressure isn’t just right, your tires could overheat. Now is the perfect time to have your tires rotated, which is recommended every two seasons.
We’ll get your vehicle summer-ready!
If you want to summer-ize your vehicle, swing by one of our our three Triangle locations. Our technicians will inspect your A/C system, radiator, and tires to make sure you stay cool in the hottest months of the year.