Even with the advances in modern air conditioning, your car can still get to the point of roasting in the summer. This makes driving both uncomfortable and even difficult, depending on what you’re dealing with. If you know you’ll face a hot car numerous times this summer, you’ll want to try some of the following strategies to cool it down quickly when the heat turns up.
Park in the Shade
Sometimes, your best defense is to practice excellent offense, and parking in the shade counts as one great piece of offense. While it can still get hot in the shade in some parts of the country, it’ll be hotter still if your car sits in the sun for long periods of time. If you know you’re going to be parked for a while, be sure to find a big tree or a covered area to park under. That way your car won’t be blistering hot when you climb in after being gone for several hours.
Cool the Steering Wheel
Steering wheels that are hot to the touch make driving difficult to say the least. In light of that, it’s important to bring along some items that will make handling the steering wheel a lot easier. One simple trick is to bring along a spray bottle filled with water and some towels. A couple of spritzes of water onto the steering wheel should cool it down.
However, if it’s truly too hot even for that, you can try a trick that people in hotter climates use. Bring a couple of oven mitts with you when you drive. Wearing them for a few minutes while your car cools down allows you to drive without burning your hands.
Cover It
Various ways exist that allow you to cover some or most of your car, which will protect it from the sun’s heat. Some car owners bring along a tarp that they can cover their car with. Others use a sunscreen that they place over the steering wheel and the front dash. Still others rely on window tinting to keep the sun’s rays out of the car. These coverings keep the core temperature of the car lower, making it easier to cool it off once you start up the car.
Leave the Windows Open for a Bit
Even if you have air conditioning, you should employ this trick when you first start up the car. The issue you’re facing is a car that has a lot of hot, immobile air that needs someplace to go. Rolling down your windows when you first get in the car should do the trick. You can even run the air conditioner at the same time.
In fact, it’s good to do so because that allows the warm air that has been trapped in the car’s air ducts to cool off faster. Doing these two things together cools your car off much more quickly than doing either by itself.
During the summertime, the inside of your car can feel like an oven. As such, you want to take steps to cool it down as quickly as you can. Fortunately, cooling down your car can be as simple as rolling down the window, adding tint to the window or even spraying the steering wheel with water.
