Getting Your Car Ready for Summer Weather Can Save You Tons of Money

When you’re getting ready for your summer road trip, you’re thinking about things like where you’ll stay, where you’ll stop for gas, and what snacks you’re bringing along. However, you should also be thinking about your car. Is it ready for summer weather and long trips? If you’re going to be driving in the summer sun, you’re going to want to make sure your vehicle is up to the task. Make sure your car is ready for summer by running down this checklist. If you do, you’re likely to save big bucks in the short term at the gas pump. You’ll also save big when it comes to maintenance down the line!

Fluids: Top Them Off

Radiator fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, wiper fluid: your engine houses a lot of different fluids. As you expect, the hot summer sun does these fluids no favors. Make sure you’ve got all of these topped off. Some of them, of course, are a bit more critical than others. While you definitely want to make sure that your brake fluid and power steering fluid are topped off, your wiper fluid might not be the most critical element of your engine’s performance. Why not get them all at once, though?

Air Conditioning

You don’t know “uncomfortable” until you’re caught in rush hour traffic in a city you’ve never visited before and your air conditioning goes out. Sitting still at a clogged red light, the hot sun coming through your windshield, cars around you pouring out their exhaust, you’ll wish you had so much as an ice cube on hand. Don’t get caught in this scenario. Hit up a mechanic before you hit the road and get your air conditioning checked out! The last thing you need to lose your cold air in the dead of summer.

Battery

Your battery is under more strain in the hotter months. Starting the car under hotter conditions requires more of your battery, and repeated cranks in the heat of the summer can quickly drain your battery’s energy. Make sure you check your charge before you take off on a long trip away from home.

Oil Change

Hot weather is even harder on your engine than you’d expect, so it’s vital that you get your oil changed before any long trips. That does double if you’re overdue for a change. It’s one thing to float for a few hundred miles over 3,000 when it’s cold outside, but when the heat comes in you need to make sure everything is up to date.