Top 5 Summer Car Care Tips
Summer’s sweltering temps amplify the effects that daily driving can have on your vehicle. From making sure that your air conditioning unit is ready to keep you cool to ensuring that your engine is prepped to keep you off the shoulder, summer car care should always be a priority.
Keep your vehicle in tip-top shape this summer with the following car care tips from the expert techs at Automotive Training Center!
1. Keep Your Engine Cool
Rising outdoor temperatures further heat your car’s engine, so it makes sense that an overheated motor is the number one cause of summer breakdowns. A liquid mix made up of antifreeze and water known as coolant is at the center of your vehicle’s internal cool-down process.
In the summertime, keeping an eye on coolant levels under the hood becomes exponentially important. To stay en route over roadside, make sure that you check and top off coolant levels every few weeks (at a minimum!).
2. Get Your Car’s AC Unit Inspected
One of the last things we all want to be without is cabin air conditioning during our summer drives, so this tip may already be top of mind. The reality is, an AC system that’s on its way out won’t last through the heat of the summer. It pays to get it inspected by a certified technician now to see if it will be able to stand up to July and August scorchers.
3. Replace Your Windshield Wipers
Summer thunderstorms are known for their monsoon-equivalent rain-dumping nature. Spring is the logical time to switch out your wiper blades for a new set, especially if the same pair has already served as your winter wipers as well. And don’t forget to keep your washer fluid full throughout the season!
4. Increase Oil Change Frequency
Our schedules tend to shift in the summer time and our car’s maintenance schedules should too. If you’ve got long road trips on the horizon, a stint of towing a boat or camper in the works, or just tend to drive shorter trips more often in the summer, your oil change frequency needs to adjust accordingly. During summer travel, follow your manual’s elevated maintenance schedule. The summer schedule for your car can be found inside its owner’s manual.
5. Really Check Your Tires
As temperatures climb into the 80s and 90s, your tires are at a higher risk for a blowout. This makes monitoring pressure levels paramount. Using your vehicle’s onboard monitoring system is great, but you also want to use a manual gauge to check the pressure at least once a month during hotter weather.
Make sure that you keep up with your scheduled tire rotations and always perform a visual inspection along with your tire pressure to evaluate wear and tread life.
You may complete these fixes and checks at home or rely on a trusted automotive technician. Students enrolled in ATC’s five programs get hands-on shop experience performing these checks and changes that help customers stay comfortable and safe on the road at any time of year!
Curious to learn more about how automotive technicians handle scheduled vehicle maintenance? Download ATC’s free eBook that provides you with a behind-the-scenes, step-by-step summary of how the professionals perform the most common routine maintenance procedures.
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Summer Car Care Tips
