Road trips, longer days, and warmer weather are just a few of the joys of living in a tropical country like Singapore where it’s basically summer most of the time. But having the sun high in the sky most days can mean scorching car seats, muggy interiors, and potential damage to your vehicle's surfaces when it's exposed to hours of sunlight at a time. As much as the heat can take a toll on your car's interior, it's also rough on a vehicle's working parts. Aside from all these tips to help keep your car cool you should also head to your mechanic for routine summer maintenance, like a cooling system and fluid check, so that you'll not only stay cool, you'll stay safe.
Invest In Car Paint Protection
We can’t really help the kind of weather you’ll have in the place you live. Whether you have four seasons or two extreme weather, all you can do is take extra steps to protect your car from these. Paint protection in Singapore’s tropical weather will prevent your paint job from fading fast, it also keeps it from expanding and contracting which results in cracking where water or moist can seep through the cracks and create rust. Like most things, prevention is better than cure. A good paint protection system should protect your car long-term. Repainting can be costly, so if you can do something to avoid doing it too often, wouldn’t you do it and save yourself some cash and stress?
Apply A Silicone Protective Substance To The Rubber Weather Stripping
All around the doors is rubber weather stripping that keeps air, water, dust, and debris from entering the nooks, crannies, and cabin of the car. Some of them are exposed to sun damage, but those that are not can also suffer from dry-rot. These can be protected by silicone protective substances that can be wiped on every few months to keep them lubricated and to keep them from rotting.
Tint Your Windows
Since glass allows sun to penetrate easily, the car gets hot in an instant especially during summer. This makes your entire car ride uncomfortable because of the heat and your air conditioning to work harder to keep the car cool which increases gasoline consumption. However, installing heat resistant window tint will solve this problem. Solar films for your car keep UV rays from penetrating your car windows. Aside from that, it can also protect your car’s upholstery from premature damage like color fading as well as cracking.
Charge Your Ac Unit
When you live in a tropical country, driving with your air condition unit running is a must. That is unless you like driving uncomfortable and drenched in your own sweat which I highly doubt applies to anyone. So if the hot days are coming up, check if your AC unit is in tip top condition or if it’s time to replace it. If you’re scheduled to visit your mechanic for maintenance anyway, don’t forget to get your guy to see if your AC needs some work. Whether it needs to be recharged, cleaned or completely replaced, it’s best to do this before summer time rolls in.
Top Up Your Coolant
Summer is an important time to regularly check your coolant is topped up - after all, you never know when your car will overheat! If you don't top up your coolant and allow your car to overheat, you risk vehicle damage that could cost you a pricey bill, with some moving metals melting together under the heat causing significant issues. Coolant should also be a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze during summer, but you don't have to worry too much about getting this ration exactly right with premixed coolant also available.
Clean And Flush The Radiator
When dirt, bugs, or road grime gets stuck and accumulates in your radiator, it becomes harder for the air to flow through it. As a result, it’s harder to cool the engine especially when the vehicle is stopped and the radiator has to rely on just the fan to keep it cool which is why it overheats when idle. So aside from getting rid of anything that your radiator has accumulated, fill it up with coolant (preferably) too especially if it’s in the brink of overheating. But if you don’t have it on hand, water works too. While you’re at it, see if your car’s hose is still intact and undamaged. Otherwise, you need to replace it so that the car’s cooling system would go back and function to normal.
Check Your Tires
You’ll want to check to make sure that your tires are properly inflated during the summer months. You’ll save an average of $600 a year by not having to prematurely replace them. It’s important to check that your tires are properly inflated because hotter temperatures can increase tire pressure, leading to unnecessary wear and tear.
Check Battery
It’s easy to assume that car battery works better when the temperature is high, but in reality its strength actually decreases when it gets too hot out. Aside from the outside temperature, the temperature under the hood can also contribute to quickened corrosion of car batteries. So if you have been having trouble with your car battery often lately, and it’s been scorching hot as well take your car to the servicing shop to have it checked.
