Sonoma County has already seen some pretty hot days this summer. Everything from vegetation to vehicles can be adversely affected by the season’s scorching temperatures if we don’t take measures to ensure they are ready to fend off the heat. Besides the usual summer maintenance like replacing worn tires, changing fluids, and checking your air conditioning, there are other things you can do to ensure your entire vehicle ready to roll. Here are some ways that you can protect your car, both inside and outside, against the hot weather for the remainder of the season.
Tips for exterior protection
Keeping your vehicle guarded against damage from the sun’s rays only takes a little time and effort. On the exterior, paint can become faded and cracked from the heat, but washing and drying it by hand can work wonders to remove dirt and dust particles. These tiny culprits can cause scratches and dull the finish on your vehicle. When washing, work from the top down with a microfiber mitt, and do not clean the tires until you have finished with the painted areas so that you don’t spread grease and grime on the car. Waxing your car or truck is also a good way to protect UV rays from becoming too harmful to the exterior. Chances are that you will only need to do this once during the summer because your vehicle only really needs this every three months or so.
Give your interior some TLC
Leather seats can become cracked and faded from UV rays just like the outside of your car. Plastic and leather dashboards can also suffer some pretty severe damage when they are left uncovered in high temperatures. If your car is subjected to prolonged periods of exposure to the sun and heat, protect your seats and dash with a good cleaner and conditioner, especially for leather. The chemicals in them provide a sort of sunscreen for your interior, leaving it soft and inviting, even after a long, hot day. Fabric seat covers are also a good way to protect yourself from burning when you sit on a seat that has been exposed for a long time. Windshield shades or dash covers can help protect the dash in the same way. If all else fails, try to park in a shaded area when you know your car will be outside a garage for a while. Your vehicle’s floor mats might also need a little TLC as well. A car can become smelly from any moisture that has dried and left odors. Maybe you neglected to wipe up that little bit of coffee you spilled in the morning or the milk your kiddo just had to have on the way to day-care. Now, the smell is about to drive you out of the car completely after baking in the afternoon heat. A thorough carpet cleaning can fix that for you, and just to prevent any further necessity for such a laborious task, think about investing in all-weather floor mats.
Final thoughts
Protecting your vehicle from the summer heat is not as difficult as it might seem. With a little bit of commitment, you can keep it looking great, feeling comfortable, and smelling fresh throughout the season. After all, summer is the perfect time to be ready to roll just in case you want to make an impromptu road trip. If you are already noticing damage to your paint, then it is a good idea to let your local auto body expert inspect it to make sure it is not too extensive. Contact the auto body specialists at Downtown Autobody to repair the damage before it gets out of hand.
