When it’s hot, like really hot, you either want to be indoors or in a pool. Chances are you don’t want to just be sitting on the driveway or on the street. So how do you think your car feels? Heat can destroy cars. Just think about how much damage heat and the sun can cause to a human being. That same heat can affect various aspects of your car. So other than making the steering wheel unbearable to drip, here are 3 ways heat can destroy cars.
The Car’s Finish
The first thing that is going to be affected by heat, particularly from the sun’s UV rays is the car’s finish. Let’s think of this as the “skin”. When you are out in the sun there is a good chance you are going to get sunburned if you don’t have any sunscreen on. If you’re lucky you have a lot of melanin in your skin that helps to tan you, thus making it less likely to burn. Well your car has neither sunscreen nor melanin to protect it. So if your car is parked in the open, without any shade, the sun will eventually wear down on the car’s finish. To help reduce some of the exterior damage try waxing your car more often.
Crack or Fade Interior
Another common way that heat can destroy cars is damaging in the interior. It really doesn’t matter if you have vinyl, plastic, leather, or fabric interiors. Extreme heat for prolonged periods of time can wear away at them. For any other materials listed, it can fade their colors over time. This leaves you with a dull version of what your car once was. For vinyl, plastic, and leather it can actually cause them to crack. In the case of leather, heat will dry out the material leaving it stiffer than it typically is. Under this condition small cracks can begin to form which will only get larger over time and use. Putting up window tinting can help prevent some of the sun’s rays from getting in, however it might be a better investment to purchase car seat covers to completely protect your seats.
Force Cooling Systems to Work Harder
Finally, heat can destroy your car by forcing your cooling systems to work harder. Engines can easily overheat if a cooling system is improperly working. That can happen just from regular use of a car. Pair that with sitting in extreme heat for hours and you are asking your cooling system to work overtime. It’d be like turning on the AC while having your fireplace blazing. Your AC system will have to constantly fight against this immense heat source to keep a steady temperature.
So in order to keep your car safe, try to avoid extreme heat whenever possible.
For more information about protecting the seats of you car, visit our website or call us at 888-246-5653.