It can be hard to handle the heat when driving on warmer days. While we all know the usual advice to park in the shade where possible, leave the windows open a little when parked etc., what proactive measures can you take to keep your car cool when driving on hot days, especially if your motor doesn’t have the best AC?
Let’s discuss a few ways you can work to keep drivers and everyone else in the car from feeling clammy or uncomfortable on longer car journeys.
Know your air conditioning symbols
What should be self-explanatory can sometimes get confusing depending on the make and model of the car you’re driving. While designs might change subtlety, you should expect to have the following as your AC options:
- Seated driver with an arrow to face: you’re directing the car to only blow air through the vents near your face
- Seated driver with an arrow to face and feet: you’re directing the car to blow towards your face and feet
- Car with a looping arrow: you’re directing the car to recirculate air around the inside of the car
So which should be used to keep everyone cool? The simplest solution is to start with the two arrow symbol when you start driving for a few minutes, ensuring the windows are up. When you feel comfortable with the temperature, change the car symbol with a looping arrow. This will see the car try and keep that same temperature throughout your journey. Just make sure that when you take necessary breaks, you’re closing all doors to avoid letting the colder air out.
Leave a towel out on the dash
Many drivers in Ireland won’t have large reflective windscreen covers; that doesn’t mean you need to buy one for the summer. A little bit like leaving a towel down by the pool early in the morning on holiday, leave a white towel across your dashboard and steering wheel.
When you get in to drive, you’ll feel a marked difference and avoid that sticky feeling hands can have when driving in a hot car.
Force air out and in
If you’re driving an older car or one that lacks the mod-cons of AC, you may feel at a loss for getting the car cooler before travelling. To help get around it, you can attempt to force trapped air out like this:
- Open the windows on one side of your car
- On the opposite side, open and close the door 3-5 times in succession
When you roll the windows back up and get in, you should notice an immediate difference in temperature from forcing that hot air that has risen in the car out.
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