[Lily]

Well, it's hot out there.

Typical UK weather: one day it’s snowing in Scotland and hailing everywhere else… then a week later the sun is scorching the earth and nobody can leave the house without SPF and a sun hat. ☀️🥵

I’ve resorted to driving around with the AC working overtime, running errands, but there’s always the risk of overheating the car.

So, here are some tips to keep your car cool during a heatwave:


• Park in the shade: keeping your car out of direct sunlight is one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep the interior cool.

• Cover your seats Leather seats can turn into hotplates in the summer sun. Use a blanket or jacket to protect them, especially if you’re parked in direct sunlight.

• Learn how your air conditioning works
Take a look at your owner’s manual to understand the best settings for cooling your car quickly and efficiently.

• Keep water and soft drinks in the car
Staying hydrated is essential in hot weather, especially on long drives. Dehydration can affect concentration and awareness behind the wheel.

• Keep a cool bag or cool box handy
Perfect for keeping drinks and snacks chilled, so you can stay refreshed during a heatwave.

How are you coping with the heat? Have you got any other tips?

[olduser]

Pop into a car wash, if the car has been in the sun.

[Lily]

@olduser good one! 😊

[Santa]

My (2015) car had a great innovation. If I hold the unlock button on the fob down, after the doors unlock, all the windows and the sunroof open wide. This is great when the car has been standing in the sun for a while.

Not much used until this week.

[Lily]

@Santa best time of the year to own a convertible! Enjoy 💛

[Rolebama]

One of my pet hates is when the handbrake handle, gear lever and steering wheel get too hot to handle. (Especially plastic ones.)
I have a setting on my air con which will blast cold air into the interior. It takes a couple of minutes to cool the interior to a comfortable temp with recirc set. After that I adjust as necessary, and I have found that up to around 24/25C outside temp, as long as I can keep moving, I don't need the air con, just the normal heater controls set to minimum.
As to opening windows, I find there is always someone blasting bass or oil smoke. Apparently the warmer weather brings them out.

[olduser]

Originally Posted by Lily

@Santa best time of the year to own a convertible! Enjoy 💛

Being tall, I don't like the thought of being in a convertible, which has turned over, being held up off the road by my head, as it slides along the road.
I prefer a bit of sheet metal between me and the road!

At least on a motorbike, the rider and passengers have head protection.

[Lily]

@olduser how tall are you? 🤔
@Rolebama relatable. That's why 25 degrees is the perfect weather in the UK. Anything above that makes everything incredibly uncomfortable.

[olduser]

Originally Posted by Lily

@olduser how tall are you? 🤔
@Rolebama relatable. That's why 25 degrees is the perfect weather in the UK. Anything above that makes everything incredibly uncomfortable.

I was 193 cm (6' 4" in old money) now I am around 190 cm. Good in a crowed, bad when I was a lad, everyone wanted to fight but if I came out best I was claimed to be the bully.

[Lily]

@olduser sorry to hear you were falsely accused of being a bully. I can attest you are truly a gentleman.

Well, I am 160 cm on a good day (which translated into wearing shoes), I'd need to carry a little stool with me to be able to talk to you. Funnily enough, my dad is as tall as you are but my Italian great-grandfather was tiny but apparently his genes are stronger!

[Santa]

I was 180 as a young man, but a bit less now. When I worked in a pub, if there was any trouble, it was always from a shorter guy (often a Scot). Heaving barrels and crates around built some muscle, so it was usually me and another big lad that had to deal with them.

[Nick]

I'm a windows down before we all get in kinda guy - I have the same feature as @Santa so can get them down even from the house. Then when we're all in and ready to go it's aircon on and windows up.

My first car was a convertible, an Escort 1.6 Cabriolet - loved it at this time of year. It was very manual though.

[NMNeil]

On sale everywhere here, and essential in the summer heat.
https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/...-car-sun-shade

[Rolebama]

@olduser I can relate to your height and fight comment. I topped out at over 6ft, and had the same problem. More so when in uniform and had to do my 3months as a Regimental Policeman.

[Santa]

Originally Posted by Lily

@Santa best time of the year to own a convertible! Enjoy 💛

I'm sure it is, but my car is a Mondeo Estate.

[Rolebama]

I have owned one convertible, which I sold purely because of our wonderful weather. We were going to Leeds up the M1 on a beautiful summer day with the roof down. We were a way up when traffic slowed because a lorry shed it's load ahead. Then we had the delightful experience of driving at around 30mph in quite a heavy cloudburst with no opportunity to stop to put the roof up. SWWBO decided once was enough, so it went.
As an aside to this, when I bought my 406 it had an electric sunroof. Hold the switch and it went from fully open to closed and then on to lift the tail. (Hope that makes sense.) Anyway the end result was that I thought it was closed when I parked up. Car sat there for a few days, during which we had a few downpours. When I next went to use it I opened the door to find that it was full up to the doorsteps with water. Won't have an electric sunroof now.

[olduser]

Originally Posted by Lily

@olduser sorry to hear you were falsely accused of being a bully. I can attest you are truly a gentleman.

Well, I am 160 cm on a good day (which translated into wearing shoes), I'd need to carry a little stool with me to be able to talk to you. Funnily enough, my dad is as tall as you are but my Italian great-grandfather was tiny but apparently his genes are stronger!

My best friend, my late wife, was about 152 cm so we got all the jokes about stools and boxes.
Our first child, a girl, up to about 15 yrs old, was much taller than average for a girl but then she stopped growing up, and sort of consolidated, final growing to marginally above average female height, the other two (boy then another girl) are similar.
They grew in the usual fits and starts.

The way genes get shuffled is fascinating but then that's the whole point of sexual reproduction!
And give rise to lots of discussion about whose eyes/nose/ears etc. they have!

[Rolebama]

FWIW: I think the general recommendation is open windows up to around 40mph, and air con above 40mph. All I know is that opening the windows on mine at over 40 causes buffeting, which is not good for mpg.

[Beelzebub]

I got my first car with air-con about 1992. I don't think I've opened a window since then, except to collect tickets etc.

[olduser]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

FWIW: I think the general recommendation is open windows up to around 40mph, and air con above 40mph. All I know is that opening the windows on mine at over 40 causes buffeting, which is not good for mpg.

I am more like Beelzebub, the aircon does a better job, open windows are noisy and produce drafts.
Todays cars have air outlets at the rear (not sure when that started) so good airflow/ventilation can be had from the heater (heating off) often without the fan.

[Drivingforfun]

When it was hot last week I found out I can lock my car with the engine running, which I thought was, literally, cool. 😎 It beeps the horn twice, I guess in case hard of hearing and didn't realise the engine is still on? (Some modern engines are very quiet while idling). On a driveway, of course, so it's not quitting.