Summer in Phoenix comes with scorching heat, dust storms, and varying levels of humidity. The environmental changes can take a toll on your car. It can lead to problems like unreliable starting and other performance issues that can ruin your summer.
It falls on you to make sure your car is up for the high temperatures and dust, especially if you’re planning a road trip or driving around town.
To prepare your car for the unpleasant summer, you’ll need to run through a checklist to ensure it’s in top shape.
You’ll need to run through a checklist while preparing your car for summer, to ensure it’s in top shape.
Here Are Some Reasons Why You Need To Ensure Your Car Is In Top Shape For The Summer
- Heat: the heat of the summer can be as extreme as the cold of winter, and can do real damage to your car. Issues of overheated car engines are common in the season.
- Dust: the dust can affect the performance of your car, especially if it’s an older model. Newer car models may come with factory seals, but tiny airborne particles can still get into the car.
- Traffic: People spend more time outdoors in the summer, so you’ll most likely spend more time driving. You should ensure that your car is prepared for increased usage.
How to Prepare Your Car for Summer
Here’s a checklist of summer car maintenance steps to keep your car in top shape and avoid relying on Arizona title loans when your car breaks down.
1. Inspect the Tires
Your tires are the only thing between the car and the road. High temperature can cause your vehicle’s tire to lose pressure quickly. This can make your car become unbalanced and cause vibrations that lead to premature wear and tear.
Inspect your tire and ensure it’s not worn out. Find out your vehicles recommended tire pressure and ensure the tire is inflated correctly.
To help maximize the tire lifespan and reduce uneven wear, you should perform a tire rotation. Move those in the front to the rear and the right to the left.
2. Check Your A/C
Driving around in the summer without air-conditioning is no easy feat. The rising temperature comes with dust that makes it difficult to keep down your car windows. It’s a good idea to ensure your car’s A/C is in good shape before the next Phoenix heatwave. If you suspect any malfunction with the air-conditioner in your car, then you need to get an expert to run a diagnostic test on the cooling system.
Taking preemptive action can save you both stress and money on repairs.
Aside from repairs, the summer maintenance also involves changing your air filters. Dirty or clogged air filters will reduce the efficiency of your cooling system. Air filters are recommended to be replaced every 12,000 miles to ensure efficient performance.
3. Inspect Your Brakes
Properly working brakes are a must in every vehicle, especially in the summer when you drive more. If your brakes are hard to press, make strange noises, or need extra pressure to work, then it’s essential to get it checked out before the busy period.
While you work to make your car move faster, you should also be concerned with how it stops. The disasters that can be caused by faulty brakes are extreme.
4. Inspect and Replace Your Battery
Checking your battery is an essential summer car maintenance step as it’s common for car batteries to fail in the summer. After the overuse of winter, the summer heat accelerates the rate of fluids and reduces battery life.
A dead battery will leave you stranded in the Phoenix heat, so it’s essential to check its capacity.
You can use a virtual battery-tester to check the capacity of your car batteries or visit an auto shop for a battery test. If faulty, ensure to replace the battery.
5. Change the Oil and Filters
Changing your oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles is one of the easiest ways to keep your car in top shape. A regular oil change is essential to keep your engine parts lubricated and ensure the longevity of your car engine.
The summer heat causes a thermal breakdown, which makes the oil gradually lose its efficiency in lubricating the system. You should check the manufacturer’s recommendation on the best oil for the vehicle. Also, change the oil filters to ensure harmful dirt, debris, and other fragments that may be in the oil, don’t get into the engine.
6. Check the Coolant
Coolants are essential to prevent overheating in the summer. You should check the level of the coolant in your radiator and ensure the cooling system is working correctly.
While coolants regulate the temperature of your car, they also prevent corrosion and lubricate the water pump.
7. Check Your Fluids Level
The increased heat can cause the fluids in your car to evaporate faster. Preparing your car for summer also includes checking the hydraulic fluid in the power steering and replace it if it has become ineffective.
Similarly, you should check the brake fluid and windshield wiper fluid to ensure it’s within the recommended level. Changing the fluids in your car only takes a little time.
8. Check Your Steering Alignment
Your steering alignment can be thrown off balance by rough roads, potholes, wear and tear. This makes the car to lose its balance as you drive. A quick alignment check is an essential step to getting your car ready for the summer.
9. Build an Emergency Kit
Car breakdowns are a common sight in the summer. You should have an emergency kit with necessary tools that can help you get a quick fix if the car breaks down. These could include duct tape, sealants, jumper cables, reflective triangles, and a tire gauge.
You can also add a first aid kit and other items like water, blankets, and sunscreen.
10. Perform Basic Routine Summer Car Maintenance
Extreme temperature demands extreme effort. While preparing your car for summer, you should also perform other summer maintenance like:
- Changing the spark plugs
- Check and change the fan belt if there is evidence of damage. The same goes for the water hose.
- Change your windshield wipers – if they are bad.
Conclusively, summer car maintenance is a necessity, and the above-listed tips can go a long way to help you enjoy your summer without car troubles. Most of the items listed here are inexpensive and can be completed at a car repair shop around town. So you obviously have no excuse to suffer a car breakdown this summer.
