A MECHANIC has issued a warning about the serious effects extreme heat can have on a vehicle’s important components and systems.
Austin Adair, an automotive technician, says there’s always a heat-related breakdown that he’s working to fix on someone’s car.
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Extreme heat can wreak havoc on a car’s electrical and cooling system, dry out important rubber hoses, and cause damage to tires.
“Heat is the ultimate killer of all components on a car,” Adair, an automotive tech at Mechanics Pride Tire & Automotive in Washington, told local news station KXLY.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do and check up on to avoid seeing your car towed to your local repair shop.
Before temperatures start to rise, Adair suggests having your cooling system inspected to ensure all elements are working.
Coolant, which keeps an engine’s temperature from rising to unsafe levels, needs to be filled to a certain amount to keep things cool.
Overheating can cause serious damage to an engine, like warping of the engine block or cylinders.
A mechanic would check for leaks, coolant consistency and cleanliness, hose viability and flexibility, and that a thermostat is opening and closing correctly.
Bad hoses will be hard or cracked, when they’re supposed to be soft.
If everything looks good on the cooling front, the next thing a mechanic would inspect is the tires.
Very high temperatures can cause a tire to blow if the tire is old, has cracks, or is not properly inflated.
A tire blowout can cause serious or even fatal injuries for you or those around you, so it is imperative to have tires replaced every six years or between 36,000 and 75,000 miles.
Lastly, a mechanic also checks important electric systems and their connections to ensure that no fluid is leaking, which could cause shorts.
Another valuable tip that Adair offered was to park in shaded areas when possible to keep temperatures down, as sitting in the sun will raise temperatures throughout the vehicle.
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