How Can I Keep My Car Cool In The Summer

Tips To Help You Beat The Heat And Keep Your Car Cool All Summer Long

While the bright summer sun might be one of the things that people enjoy most about Florida, it also brings with it high temperatures that can make the temperature inside a vehicle unbearable. When getting into a car that has been parked in hot weather, the air inside the vehicle is going to feel warmer than the air outside the vehicle (up to 20 degrees warmer)! Additionally, surfaces within our vehicles such as leather seats, steering wheels, seatbelts, and dashboards can reach up to 200 degrees! But luckily there are a few things you can do to help keep your vehicle from feeling like a mobile sauna this summer.

Use A Sunshade And Window Covers

One of the biggest reasons your vehicle is always warmer inside than it is outside is because it is easy for the sun’s rays to travel through the glass into your car, but it can’t get back out through the glass as easily and become trapped. One way to combat this problem is to reflect some of the sun’s rays and heat off your windows before your vehicle’s interior can absorb it. Sunshades and window covers aim to do this by reflecting the sun’s rays back out of your vehicle. A study done at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) at the University of Central Florida found that using these shades helped reduce the interior temperature of a vehicle by 15 to 20 degrees and helped reduce the temperature of the steering wheel and other surfaces like the dashboard as much as 40 to 50 degrees!

Cover Your Steering Wheel and Seats

There is nothing quite as frustrating as discovering that you can’t take off because your steering wheel is too hot to touch. There are many different types of steering wheel covers that are designed to keep your steering wheel cool enough to the touch to drive while also protecting it from damage like cracking. As for your seats, getting seat covers can also be helpful – especially if you have leather or vinyl seats in your car.

Park In A Shaded Area

You might like to find the closest parking to your destination, but during the hotter months premium parking spaces are actually the ones with the most shade covering them. And if there is a garage available to park in, always use it. Anything that can help block the sun directly from your vehicle like trees, buildings, and coverings will help keep your vehicle cooler for when you return.

Keep Windows Slightly Cracked

Another way to help the hot air be able to escape your vehicle is to keep the windows slightly cracked. Of course, when you are parked you want to make sure they are not cracked enough that someone would be able to get into your vehicle. If you have a sunroof you can also keep it slightly cracked.

Consider Window Tinting

Window tinting can be expensive, but in Florida where it stays hot most of the year it’s an investment that worth taking. Having tinted windows will work as a constant barrier between your vehicle and the sun, whether it is parked or in motion, so this will help keep your car cooler at all times.

Cool The Car Before Getting In

If your vehicle is equipped with remote start, can use the remote start feature to get your vehicle’s AC running before you get to your car. But if your vehicle is not equipped with remote start, there are still a couple things you can do to cool the car down quickly before you get in. One trick is to open your driver’s side door and roll down the passenger window, then use the driver’s door like a fan by opening and shutting it a few times before you get in. You might look a little weird in the parking lot, but it will definitely help cool the car down quickly. You could also open the door and wait a few minutes to get in and then roll the windows down while you’re driving, although this is going to take a bit longer to cool your vehicle down.

Take Advantage Of AC And Use It Wisely

Once you are in your vehicle and driving take advantage of AC if you have it and use it wisely. When you first get in to your vehicle turn your AC on Max, shut the top air vents and leave the lower air vents open, and roll down your windows. Because warm air rises, doing this is the best way to make sure your vehicle is cooled down completely. It is also important to make sure you are using the fresh air option when you first start driving as the re-circulation option pulls in the hot air already in your vehicle and recycles it. Once your vehicle as reached your desired temperature, the re-circulation option is great to switch to for efficiency, but always start out with the fresh air option.

Now that you know how to keep your vehicle cool all summer long contact one of our licensed Florida insurance agents to review your current auto insurance coverage and make sure you have all the protection you and your vehicle need!