Beat the heat
The dry heat of the Highveld is no joke; neither is the humidity of the Lowveld or the coastal areas; in fact, the harsh African weather gives many car drivers in South Africa cause for concern as temperatures inside a car can quickly get hot enough to bake a tray of cookies. Auto manufacturers around the globe bring vehicles to our shores for high altitude and weather testing before putting new makes and models into production; such is the harshness of our climate.
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Many of those same automakers will specifically build vehicles for certain climates, and even when these vehicles are built for our climate, the weather can still take its toll. There are a few tips and tricks that you can do to minimise the heat soak in your car.
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1. Find the shade
The easiest way to keep the interior heat down is to park your car in a shady area or, at the very least, an area that gets shade during the worst heat of the day. Keeping your car out of the sun as long as possible will keep temperatures down and teh interior easier to deal with when it's time to drive again.
2. Get a windshield sunshade
Yes, they may look cumbersome and can be a pain floating around your interior, but keeping the sun off the interior surfaces of the car by blocking the solar radiation drops temperatures dramatically and can also extend the lifespan of the leathers and plastics inside your car.
3. Get some window tinting done
Car window films significantly reduce the sun’s glare, improving driver and passenger comfort and also creating safer driving in direct sunlight. The films also reject up to 99% of the sun’s ultra-violet rays, protecting upholstery and plastic in the car and helping maintain the vehicle’s value. Window tinting not only reduces interior temperatures dramatically but also protects the occupants in the event of smash and grabs as it prevents the window from being smashed out.
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4. Service your aircon
Even though air conditioning systems are sealed, the system's effectiveness decreases over time and teh system will require a service. The service will see the old refrigerant degassed, the system vacuum checked, and the new refrigerant entered into the system. If you feel that the air con is no longer cooling the vehicle effectively, it may be time for a service.
5. Car seat covers are your friend
If your interior is clad in leather or vinyl, taking a seat after the vehicle has been in direct sunlight could actually result in burns to the back of the legs and torso. Although many do look off-ish compared to the original interior, car seat covers can save you the pain and go a long way to protecting your interior trim if you don't have window tint.
6. Try to drive outside of the worst hours
Much like spending time at your favorite seaside resort or swimming pool, keeping out of the sun during the harshest part of the day will go a long way to keeping the heat down. Try and drive during the morning and afternoons and try to employ as many of the above tips and tricks if you cant.
