Maintaining Cool Temperatures without Air Conditioning

If for some reason your air conditioning fails you, it can be important to know how to keep your car from heating up. Aside from being uncomfortable, small children, the elderly and pets can all be very sensitive to the hot temperatures that can quickly develop on the road.

Here are a few suggestions to help reduce car temperatures:

• Park in the shade. This is easy enough in most cases, but if you’re planning on being parked up for any significant length of time, consider where the sun will be in the coming hours. It’ll only take 20 minutes or so of direct sunlight to make your car uncomfortably hot, so where possible, pick a spot that will remain in the shade throughout the afternoon.
• Sun protectors. Placing a sunshade beneath your windscreen can prove very beneficial during the summer months. Also, use a blanket to cover where you’ll be sitting.
• Maintain properly inflated tyres. Tyres that are not inflated to the correct levels can pick up and generate significantly more heat than they would do otherwise. This heat will then enter the interior of your car, while also placing your tyres at risk. So especially if you are planning a long car journey, take the extra time to check air pressure – particularly on a hot day.