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Ventilate before you turn on the air conditioner
Ventilate before turning on the air conditioning. This way you ensure that you first get the warm air out, making it easier for your air conditioning to cool the car. Certainly a useful tip for older or cheaper cars, whose air conditioning system is not the best, but also useful for newer cars. Open all the doors, you can even open the boot so that some fresh air can get in. Or open one door and repeatdly open and close another door to get some airflow in. Another usefull tip is to set the ventilation to recirculation in the beginning. The air conditioning has it easier to cool this air instead of the warm air from outside.
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Use a sunshade when parking or while driving
You can use a sunshade over the front and rear windows when parking to block direct sunlight. That can already make a pleasant difference. During the ride you can, for example, also cover the windows for the passengers from behind with a cloth or screen. This also reduces direct sunlight and is more pleasant for the passengers in the back.
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Park in the shade
A logical tip, but one that is often forgotten because you just came across a parking space. But sometimes it is advisable to park a little further down the road under a tree to ensure that direct sunlight cannot enter. This can make a world of difference when you leave.
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Do not set the air conditioning too cold
Especially on a very hot day, people tend to turn the air conditioning on the coldest setting to cool down. But that is not very healthy, a difference of maximum 8° Celsius and preferably even less is recommended between indoor and outdoor air. Also turn off the air conditioning when you are almost at your destination so that the difference is not too abrupt when getting out.
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Do not put the cooling directly on your body
We understand that this can be pleasing for a while, but it can also cause stiffness or stiff muscles if the cooling is directly on your body. It can also increase the chance of getting a cold. The cold air itself cannot cause a cold, but the chance is greater the colder the body surface is.
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Leave some water in the car, but be careful where to stock it!
Especially in the warm weather it is useful to have a bottle of water in your car to prevent dehydration. This can be useful, especially during longer journeys or an unexpected traffic jam. But be careful and don’t just leave it lying around in the car. For example,if you just leave it lying around, it could end up at your pedals. This is of course dangerous. But it can also act as a magnifying glass if placed in direct sunlight. This can then cause burn marks on your upholstery and there has even been a case reported that it caused a fire. For the latter it has to be very crazy so the chance is very small but just store it for safety.
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Check your engine fluid and also pay attention to the tire pressure
Especially on longer rides it is best to check the engine fluid to see if everything is still filled. It is best to double check the cooling. Also keep in mind that your tire pressure increases, the pressure can increase by 0.1 bar per 10 degrees. You can certainly lower the tire pressure slightly to the standard pressure, but keep this in mind when the temperature cools down again. Otherwise you will be driving with a tire pressure that is too low.
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Do not leave any passengers in the car, not even pets!
It is mentioned several times in the news every year. People who leave their pets and even children in the car during warm weather, because it’s only for a minute. Be careful with this, because the temperature in the car can rise very quickly. This becomes dangerous for children as wel as for pets!
Some tips for your car during the warm weather
High temperatures are expected this weekend and with summer approaching, this won’t be the last time, we hope! That is why we are happy to give you some useful tips for the car to deal with the extra warm weather.
