The summertime heat takes it out of people, pets and cars. Keep your car in top shape by consulting a Merced car care expert.
The winters here in Merced don’t get as cold as the ones in, say, the North Pole. But it can be cool enough to play havoc with your car. So you might feel that, with summer here, you can relax your car care vigilance and not worry about things at least until, oh, January, maybe?
Not so fast.
If you want your car to last a long time; if you want to be sure it’ll start when you head off to the Cowboy Challenge and other fun events, you’ll stay on the ball as far as auto care is concerned. Because, hard as winter is on cars, the summer heat can be even worse.
Take your battery, for example. It’s more likely to fail in the summer than in the winter, according to consumeraffairs.com. And those that fail in the winter are likely dying because of an energy drain that happened in the summer. Consumeraffairs.com explains: “One reason dead batteries are often associated with cold weather is [because] colder temperatures increase the thickness of the engine oil, making the engine harder to turn over. That means the battery has to work harder.” A battery that is weak because of the toll of summer heat will then fail.
Consumeraffairs.com offers these four tips for making your battery last:
- Make sure it is charging at the correct rate.
- “Keep the top of the battery clean. Dirt and engine grease can build up and, when they do, they serve as a conductor, which drains battery power.
- “Look for corrosion accumulating on battery terminals. The corrosion, often blue in color, serves as an insulator, reducing current flow.
- “When it is time to replace your battery, select one that's rated at least as high as the original.”
When it’s time to check to make sure your battery is charging correctly or time to get a new battery, the place to come is Don’s Tire and Service. Don’s Tire is the premier Merced car care and tire service shop. Don’s certified auto mechanics provide all levels of car care, from preventive maintenance all the way to and including major repairs on cars and light trucks.
