We all look forward to summer but the warm months can also be unforgiving to vehicles. With Europe facing the most exacting temperatures, hot sun and humidity and typical summer busy traffic the going can be a little tough. Even so, your car will probably do just fine like it has done in past summer months due to advancement in engineering. Nonetheless, your car will do some things that might turn out surprising or a little unsettling. Here are a few actions you might expect your vehicle to portray. While they can be startling to the uninitiated, you might not need to worry about a thing.
Smoke on ignition
Of course, turning on your car and seeing a thick blanket of smoke emanating from the vehicle’s air vents is unsettling. Nonetheless, you might not need to worry about anything if the smoke isn’t pungent. Always expect your car to release such smoke once in a while due to the air conditioning inside the car struggling against hot temperatures. The hot humidity leaving in the form of water vapour and appearing like smoke and moving very fast out of the air conditioning unit doesn’t give the moisture sufficient time to change into drips of water. Rather, it moves right across the air conditioning in the form of smoke. The smoke usually disappears if you left the system running for a short while.
Dripping liquid or water drips
After parking you might see lots of water just below your vehicle. In fact, you probably have been shocked to see water dripping from moving cars. This shouldn’t alarm you. Again, it’s all about the car’s air conditioning mechanism. The vehicle is designed in a way that the evaporator is able to release water drips as the air conditioning dehumidifies water apart from cooling it. Of course, the water must drop somewhere and it’s the drips that you see. Even so, if the released liquid isn’t anything like water or has some kind of an unusual colour do get in touch with an approved maintenance service to have it checked.
Slowing vehicle
It’s possible for the careful among us to notice that their car appears to slow down and sluggish in hot summer days. Usually true for smaller engines that aren’t exceptionally powerful. Acceleration might appear to slow while the car’s response might seem not as sharper as happens during colder winter months.
There’s really nothing to worry about per se. During warm summer days the air isn’t as dense as you might expect. As a result, the performance of the engine is slowed a little, which could also affect the car’s fuel economy. Of course in cool summer mornings you won’t experience this issue as the engine performs perfectly well as it does during winter months.
Check out for gluey sap
Chances are you’ll park your car under some shade somewhere, perhaps under a familiar tree in the hot of summer. You might never see anything wrong unless you touch the paintwork later. If you do so, you’ll find some sticky fluid that dropped from the tree and collected all over the vehicle in the smallest possible droplets. It’s advised to do something about it unless you want the paintwork damaged by the hardened sticky droplets. A hot solution made from a soapy shampoo and water is a perfect solution for the removal of the sap. Also note that windscreens are also usually affected. Invest in quality windscreen washer solution perfect for hot summers to keep the sticky droplets off.
Engine bay’s rushing rumpus
You could be driving in slow moving traffic only to hear the engine bay making loud, whooshing noise. It’s usually not consistent but can disappear as quickly as it came once you begin moving the car. This is usually brought about by cooling fan in the engine stopping and starting again. It’s designed in such a way that it doesn’t work all the time to save fuel but does start right away when the engine water is overheated. After you begin to move the car the air flow across the grille of the radiator lowers the temperatures again and the mechanism is no longer required.
Key phrase FRESCO to help you keep your car in great shape every summer
Pay attention to the FRESCO acronym to keep your car going throughout summer without sudden setbacks.
Fuel: Always keep tab on the fuel before you drive away. Since summer attracts heavy traffic the car will spend more fuel than it normally does. This could lead to problematic car engine reactions that come with warm weather.
Rubber: Not many people know car tyres can show how the vehicle is fairing. For instance, take a look at them and see if the wearing is uniform. If not, then pressure disparity is real or the steering has an issue. Do ensure the tread is a minimum 3mm for all the tyres and pressure is inflated properly. It guarantees great grip during icy or wet circumstances on the road. Don’t forget to take a peek at wiper blades to look for performance shortcomings to ensure the rubber hasn’t worn off.
Electrics: The car electric system is critical and should work well at all times. Check the car beforehand to ensure the lights are performing perfectly. If windows and indicators are electrically controlled ensure nothing is amiss.
Screen wash: Never forget to pay attention to the washer fluid of your windscreen. Use the best screen wash to keep off dirt, poo and microbes off the windscreen after a wonderful time in the sun.
Coolant: A very important service, coolant ensures your car is always running at the proper temperature. Ensure it’s always between the max and minimum levels. If it’s not, get in touch with your mechanic immediately because there’s definitely a problem.
Oil: Never ignore oil checks. Oil ensures there’s no car breakdown and the engine isn’t affected. Checking oil levels at all times and topping up when it’s down makes sure your car doesn’t overheat when you least expect it.
Have you noticed something you can’t really explain affecting your car? Get in touch fast to have your ride checked for problems before they become real and catastrophic on the road.
