Travel by car, not with a stove!
Suitcases are packed, sandwiches are ready for the journey, phones are charged. When we plan to go on vacation, we try to keep everything in mind, but we often omit… getting the car ready for the road. What can surprise us in this hot period?
Cooling system
On hot days, the temperature in the engine compartment reaches 100°C, which can lead to overheating. An efficient cooling system is required to keep the temperature down. Before going on vacation, you should make sure that the fan under the hood is working properly, the channels of the cooling system are not clogged, and the coolant in the radiator is relatively fresh (i.e. changed at least three years ago). Most mechanics have professional tools that will make it easy for you to assess if any of the cooling system components need repair, which will save us several times the cost of calling for technical assistance and repairs. Remember that the cooling system is especially stressed on a long holiday route.
battery
Are battery problems only in winter? Nothing could be more wrong! “At 20°C, each increase in temperature by another 10°C is associated with an average battery self-discharge that is twice as fast. Higher temperatures also increase the rate of corrosion of its plates,” explains Krzysztof Neider, expert at Exide Technologies SA. this is especially true in the case of cars that are left at home during a two-week vacation - after returning, it may turn out that the battery is deeply discharged. This problem can also arise when the driver goes on holiday by car, because after a long journey the car is hardly used until the return trip. To avoid battery problems, make sure it is fully charged and that when you turn off the car, it does not draw more power than it should. This can be checked by a mechanic inspecting the radiator. In a situation where the battery is dead, it is worth looking under the hood and checking what kind of battery we have. Some models (e.g. Centra Futura, Exide Premium) come with an assistance package under which the driver can count on free roadside assistance to restore battery health in Poland.
Overheating
After 30 minutes, the interior of a car left in the sun reaches a temperature of 50 ° C, and many hours of driving in bright sunshine can affect both the driver and passengers. An easy way to avoid high temperatures in your car is to attach a sun visor to your windshield when parking, which will significantly reduce the temperature inside the cabin. In addition, it is worth refreshing the air conditioning system, thanks to which overcoming even long distances at an outdoor temperature of up to 30 ° C will be much more pleasant.
