Get Your Car Ready For Summer!

We all discuss, at length, about the way to keep your car fit different seasons of the year, especially when it's pouring down with rain or during the ice-cold days of winters. We don’t, however, lay much importance on driving in the scorching summer heat. Most folks take it without any consideration that the car will lookout of itself, counting on the conditions. Honestly, that’s not true. Yes, the cars are tested in extreme climate conditions to ensure they keep on working, but most of the time, those testing conditions are no match to what the real world throws at you.

Summers, especially in India, are often tons more cruel to your car than winters. Since we are on the brink of summers in some regions of the country or in it within the rest, it'll be ideal to stay your car and yourself ready for any journeys that you plan. Like yourself, your car must be properly taken care of for various weather. [Note - The tips are powered by Jeep Service Center]

Car’s Cooling System:

Get the radiator checked for any clogged cooling tubes. These tubes act like veins for the car’s coolant to run throughout the system. If anyone of them is choked, the engine is ought to overheat and suffer a stroke. And the chances of this increase if you haven’t got the radiator flushed in over a year. One standout symptom of this problem is when the engine gets heated beyond its normal limit at sustained high speeds.

Visually inspect the belts and hoses which are connected to the cooling system. Look for small cracks within the rubber of the belt and confirm the hoses are tight. You can check the latter by grabbing the hose near the clamp and make sure that it doesn’t rotate.

Top-up the coolant. 

What’s more, you can add anti-freeze fluid along with it. Why you'll ask, can we need anti-freeze in summers? Well, it’s a game of simple chemistry. Mix two liquids together and the boiling temperature shoots up for the end product. That result is definitely welcome thanks to the extreme temperatures in our country.

Check whether the cooling fan is functioning as it is supposed to. It activates when the temperature of the coolant rises a predefined threshold. You can check whether it's working fine by just turning the air con on. Pop the hood and therefore the fan should be working. If it isn’t, it won’t, under any other circumstances. Get it checked. Another possibility is that the coolant temperature sensor is faulty.

Tires:

Once you are done checking the cooling system, it is time to get yourself acquainted with the science of how summers can be torturous to the tires of your beloved wagon. We know that it is friction between the tires and the ground that enables the car to move in the intended direction. But friction also results in the production of a lot of heat and you can feel that heat radiating from the wheels of your car after you’ve finished a meaningful journey. To further add to the cruelty, the temperatures in summer shoot up much quicker and that can wear a tire down much faster than usual. 

Here’s what you need to keep in check:

Get all five tires filled up with correct tire pressure. What is the correct tire pressure? That’s mentioned in your car’s manual. Just don’t mix it up with the utmost tire pressure reading that's mentioned on the side-wall of the tire. Ensure that you get the tires inflated to the recommended limit before you start your journey as friction also adds up to the tire pressure. That means if you measure the PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) pressure reading before you begin your journey and after you've got been on the choose a short time, they both are going to be different with the latter being on the upper side.

Check the tread on all the tires.

 If you were planning to get a new set after summers, we’d recommend you get them before. Due to the high temperatures, tire-wear is higher in summers than in any other season of the year. So, if you think you got through spring without any hiccups and will push through summers likewise, that might just be a bigger gamble for you than you actually anticipated.

Engine, Brake And Transmission Fluids:

It is all about shedding the surplus heat that each one the most components of the car withstand during summers. With temperatures easily crossing the 40-degree mark in most of the country, the engine, transmission, and brakes can use all the lubrication that they will get. It is highly recommended that these are topped-up and checked for any leakages before you set off on your journey. In the case of transmission fluid, make sure that it's clean and doesn’t have any unwanted residue. Even the littlest piece of dirt can create a recipe for the failure of the gearbox.

Air Conditioning:

The last but by no means, the smallest amount of important aspect is air con. Driving with a broken air conditioning system can be as bothersome in summers as driving with it on in full-blow mode in the sub-zero January temperatures in Ladakh. Quite a contrast but the sensation is equally disturbing! So, before the sun drenches you in your sweat, get the AC checked for any leakages or a top-up for refrigerant gas. While you are at it, ask the mechanic to check the compressor’s health and that how well or unwell it is.

All that is for your car. But you, as a driver need to note of a few things as well.

Pack the proper stuff. 

Carrying the additional load, which you will not be using during your trip should be tossed out before you start. This not only helps in returning better fuel economy but also reduces the load on the car’s engine.

Drive at cruising speed. 

This doesn’t mean you ought to break the enforced speed limits. What it actually means is that you simply should attempt to change gears at lower rpm and avoid working the engine beyond its comfort-range.

Plan the route wisely. 

If you're heading out for an extended journey, it's best that you simply compute the simplest route possible. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it's the shortest one. Ideally, it should be the simplest possible combination of excellent tarmac, availability of fuel-stations and rest stops and isn’t disturbingly deserted.

Take regular rest stops. 

This again holds true for extended journeys. albeit you stop for half an hour to stretch your legs and gulp a pint of caffeine, it'll assist you to concentrate at your job of driving far better.

So there you've got it. A consolidated list to stay you and your car healthy during those searing summer days. At the top of the day, everything revolves around one basic mantra - you're taking off your car and your car takes care of you!