How Does the Summer Heat Affect Your Car?

While we often talk about the negative effects that winter can have on your car and winter driving conditions in general, we talk much less about the damage that hot weather can do to your car. Perhaps this is largely due to the fact that, here in the UK, the sun is rarely strong enough to cause our vehicles any problems; however, this year, things changed.

Given the overwhelming heatwave that we have experienced this summer, the team here at Wyatt Auto Service thought it would be fitting to detail the problems which extremely hot weather can cause to your vehicle.

Tyres

When it comes to summer driving, it’s extremely important to check the pressure of your tyres regularly, especially if you’re doing a lot of driving. This is because, unfortunately, hot tyres on a hot road can lead to tyre blowouts. What’s more, if your tyres aren’t properly inflated, this can increase the risk even further. So in order to prevent hazardous situations like this, make sure that you check your tyre pressure once a month and replace them before they become dangerously worn.

Battery

While everyone knows that cold weather can damage your car’s battery, hot weather too can significantly reduce its lifespan. On top of this, the vibrations from those long summer trips can damage the battery further. So, with this in mind, make sure that you bring a set of jump leads with you if you go on any late summer road trips, just in case the battery dies.

Oil

If your vehicle’s engine is extremely hot, which it will be in the height of summer, it’s going to need a great deal of lubrication. As such, making sure that you regularly top up your engine with the oil is vital. While some argue that you should use a thicker grade of oil for the summer, we don’t think this is necessary – most modern motor oils can adapt just fine to your engine regardless of the season. The most important thing to do is make sure that you check the oil level on your engine’s dipstick and change it when it drops too low.

Wiper blades

In extremely hot conditions, like those that we have been experiencing this summer, your windscreen wiper blades can actually melt onto your windscreen! This is a rare scenario but it can happen if you leave your car parked out in the sun all day. In order to guard against this, the best thing to do is park your car in the shade where possible, and check them routinely.

Wyatt Auto Services can provide a comprehensive service to maintain and improve the condition of your car this summer. We supply and fit summer tyres and our expert team can provide in-depth car servicing to identify and rectify any problems before they get worse. To find out more about all of our services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team today.