Summer And Vacations Go Hand In Hand

Start your summer vacation off on the right foot; have your vehicle properly serviced and ready for the trip ahead. Hot weather and cold weather have one thing in common, your vehicle doesn't like either one. Ever notice the vehicles sitting on the side of the highway are usually a long way from home? That’s because the shorter trips we normally take don’t get all the moving components up to temperature like a longer trip does. Even a 1 or 2 hour trip to the lake can be enough for some vehicles to succumb to the heat and pressure created from an extended drive. Belts, hoses and cooling systems take a real beating with the added heat generated which can leave you stranded for a few hours or days if you haven’t been fortunate to stop in time, ending up with a serious mechanical failure and your car undriveable. Cooling system failure can happen very fast with devastating results, this is also a major cause of engine damage; and that’s never cheap to repair. While you are driving be sure to keep an eye on the temperature gauge, if you see it rising beyond its normal position to the “hot” zone you can try turning off the air conditioning. If that doesn't help and the gauge is at or in the hot zone, pull over as soon as possible to avoid creating any additional problems from the heat.

Start your trip out the safe reliable way; have a comprehensive inspection performed to make sure you don’t have any surprises when you least expect them. Routine service inspections are intended to identify potential trouble areas that should be addressed before they become problems. This helps have a stress free holiday or even a weekend away.  

Let the Crestview team get your vehicle ready for travel. To book an appointment and read more about us visit us on line at crestviewautoservice.ca 

And Now my Car is Overheating

If you didn't follow my advice on how to help you car beat the heat you might of had some overheating issues with the recent heat. There are ways to deal with an overheating vehicle until you can get it to a shop or home to be fixed and not wreck your vehicle.

Turn up the heat
Now this may not be what you want to do on a hot day, but if your vehicle is starting to overheat you can head it off by turning on the heater to max temp and max speed. This will help cool your engine down as the heater core is basically another radiator thus by letting hot coolant flow through it and blowing air across it will increase your vehicle's ability to get rid of excess heat. Please roll your windows down and open your sun roof otherwise it is going to get really hot really fast in your car.

Add some Water

Now if your vehicle has overheated please shut it down and let it boil over and cool down. This will prevent you from causing serious damage. Now once it is cooled down (about 30 minutes) open the cap and go find some water to fill it back up with. The water doesn't have to be cold. As I mentioned in a previous post water transfers heat better than coolant so by refilling with water you will be able to increase the cooling capacity.

Fix that leak

If your vehicle leaks coolant some where (sometimes coolant leaks are really hard to find) you should always carry some extra coolant in your trunk or back seat. If you let it get too low your vehicle will loose its ability to stay cool and may overheat. This is the worst kind of overheating as some parts of the engine may be starved for coolant such as the heads. This can be disastrous as you could blow a head gasket, crack the head, or crack the block which may be an engine ending failure. If you don't have some premixed coolant then regular water will work as will those stop leak products. 

The good news

The good news is that most gas stations carry products that can help to temporally resolve your overheating issues. Most will sell some automotive products like oil, coolant, stop leak, and gas additives. Also they carry water which you can use in a pinch and/or have a hose and spigot out back. Once you get the vehicle home or to a repair shop get the issue resolved. This may be replacing hoses, a radiator, or a flush and fill. Getting a flush and fill will do wonders if you have a vehicle that has a neglected coolant system, if you regularly exchange your coolant you probably don't need a flush and fill as it will only cost more money.