It’s starting to get hot again here in Florida, particularly in the Orlando area. With the sun blazing excitedly in preparation for the coming spring, many issues can surface. The first thing that comes to people’s minds in this hot weather is protecting their skin from the harmful UV rays. However, what people don’t think about is that the sun can harm other things as well. Cars can easily deteriorate if left under the sun for too long. As well, if car owners don’t take safety measures to protect their cars from the heat, they will have a harder time down the road fixing issues that arise because of their negligence. For this reason, we’ve compiled seven useful tips on car care for when your car gets scorched by the sun.
1. Don’t wash your car under heat
Never wash your car under the sun and avoid taking it to a car wash when it’s been under the sun for many hours. What happens when you wash your car under the sun is that the sun quickly vaporizes soap foam and leaves marks in their place, which only makes your car look dirtier and dulls the color of the paint. If your car really needs a wash, put it in a shaded area for some time until it cools down or, better yet, park it in a garage if possible. Then drive your car to a car wash so that it can get cleaned without the heat’s presence causing blemishes.
2. Put up a windshield sunshade
Windshield sunshades are a great invention for car care. They’re simple, but they provide a lot of protection for your car against the sun. This is especially useful when your car doesn’t have tinted windows. If you can’t afford tinting, this is a cheap alternative. Putting up a windshield sunshade will ensure that your car’s interior stays cool and that no damage occurs to your seats, steering wheel, and dashboard.
3. Get your car washed often
Obviously, washing your car when it is dirty is important, but washing your car when it is constantly getting scalded by the sun is just as important. With everyday pollution and dirt slathering all over your car and the hot weather practically smothering it on top of that, it is necessary to wash your car often in order to keep these harmful elements at bay.
4. Cover your steering wheel
Have you ever driven a car whose steering wheel was chapping and flaking off? The entire time you’re driving it, you just feel this crusty material in your grasps. It’s not a pretty sight and not the most comfortable to the touch. This usually occurs because of heat seeping into your car and drying out the outer layer of the steering wheel. Yet, this could easily be avoided if you cover your steering wheel with a steering wheel cover. A good cover works to prevent the sun from reaching the steering wheel and damaging it. Plus, it’s very soft too!
5. Add seat covers or apply conditioner to leather seats
A lot of cars have leather seats, and leather tends to crack when left under the hot sun for too long. So what can you do? Well, like mentioned above, you can start by putting up a windshield sunshade to prevent direct sunlight from hitting inside your car. This, unfortunately, wouldn’t entirely prevent your car from overheating. So the next step would be to invest in seat covers and apply conditioner from time to time to your leather seats. The conditioner treats the leather, aiding it in staying in a healthy state.
6. Check the car’s battery
Many people don’t realize that their cars’ batteries get affected by the sun. Under a hot weather, the water in battery fluids evaporates, causing damage to the batteries. So it’s crucial for car owners to check their cars’ batteries regularly, specifically when the weather is hot. This is a vital car care tip to go by, and it will save you from a lot of stress in the future.
7. Park in the shade
This one is obvious, but we thought it would be a good reminder. Parking your car in the shade can easily help you escape all the issues that occur when you leave your car under the sun.
So there you have it. These are Bill’s Car Wash’s seven tips to help you with your car care responsibilities during the hot weather months. Spring is almost here, and so it is essential to keep these in mind, as Orlando will soon get pretty hot.
