You probably know this by now, but the sun’s heat is not really good for your car. However, do you know what the exact effects are? Understanding these effects can help you realize that you really shouldn’t leave your car underneath the sun for long periods of time. Of course understanding them can help you make conscious efforts to avoid them. In addition, you should know how to minimize these effects.
The Effects of Summer’s Heat
Simply put, placing your car underneath the heat of the sun is like placing your car in a huge oven. Here is what can happen:
Paint will fade.
Surely you don’t want your car’s paint to fade, right? Especially if you spent a lot of money on your car’s paint job. But even so, you shouldn’t allow it to fade because fixing it can get pretty expensive as well.
Paint will chip off.
This is another unpleasant effect. You know how your skin gets chapped and flaky if it’s too hot? The same thing applies to cars.
The summer heat will lead to stubborn water stains and baked bird poop.
Water and bird poop stains are generally easy to remove; however, they get more stubborn if they’re baked in the heat of the sun while left untaken care of.
Your car’s interior will overheat.
Think of the greenhouse effect and that’s basically what’s happening to your car’s interior. It will get really hot and can affect your leather seat, dashboard, and just about everything inside your car.
How to Avoid these Effects
The best way to avoid these effects is to avoid parking your car underneath the sun. Park in the shade even if that means you walking a few more steps. Park the car inside your garage and not in your driveway. Stick to covered parking and avoid the uncovered ones. Yes, even if you’re just going to be out for a few minutes.
What if You can’t Help it?
There are instances wherein you really can’t avoid parking underneath the sun. The best thing that you can do is to minimize the effects of the summer heat to your car. Here are some tips that you can follow to minimize its effects:
Invest in a car cover.
This is helpful if you need to park outside for long periods of time. Cover your car like how you would cover yourself while walking underneath the sun. You’ll be happy to know that there are car covers that offer UV protection. Buy one and place it inside your car’s trunk so you can use it whenever needed.
Wash and dry your car regularly.
Avoid baked in water spots and bird droppings by washing and drying your car regularly. Once a month cleaning should suffice but make sure to clean your car immediately if it’s dirty or if it has water stains and/or bird droppings.
Just make sure that you dry your car completely. Water can serve as a magnifying glass that will concentrate the heat of the sun onto a small spot on your car.
Wax your car regularly.
Waxing your car puts another layer of protection on your car. Wax reflects some of the sun’s rays and this can minimize the effects of the summer heat.
Invest in a car shade.
Protect your car’s interior by investing in a car shade and using it when you’re parked underneath the heat of the sun.
Invest in a good tint.
Tint can also protect your car’s interior. Invest in a high-quality tint to protect your car’s interior and of course, protect you and your passengers as well.
Transfer the car when you get the chance.
What if you can’t find shade in a parking lot? Park where you can and when you get the chance, transfer your car to a shaded spot. This way, you’re minimizing the amount of time that your car is getting baked underneath the sun.
Have your Car Checked
It’s a good idea to have your car checked right now by a professional body shop to see if the sun has already affected your car in a negative way. This way, you can have it fixed so your car can get a “fresh start” by following the tips listed above.
The sun is here to stay all year long, not just during summer. This is why it’s important that you follow the tips listed above.
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