Due to engine, tire, or battery trouble, vehicles commonly experience breakdowns during the hot months of July, August, and even well into September. This is due to the mechanical problems associated with temperatures that are extreme. The top common causes of summer car breakdowns are what we at Speedway Towing & Roadside Assistance would like to share today.
Overheating Car Engine
Vehicles overheat frequently while driving. Signs your vehicle is likely overheating includes noticing unusual smells coming from the engine or seeing smoke or steam coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. To confirm it is overheating, the temperature gauge on your vehicle’s dashboard will give you the answer. Should your vehicle begin to overheat, turn off the air conditioning right away to reduce the stress on your vehicle’s engine and avoid further damage. Before starting your vehicle again, we recommend adding fluid to your engine, or call in a professional towing and roadside assistance expert for assistance.
Blown Out Tire
It is common to experience a tire blowout throughout the summer months. Causing them to expand as the tire pressure increases with the heat, tires blowouts can be caused by the heat. During the summer especially, closely monitor the air pressure in your tires to ensure the air pressure isn’t too high.
Does Heat Increase Battery Drain?
Your vehicle battery is significantly impacted by extreme temperatures, both extreme summer heat and extreme winter cold. The vehicle battery will cease functioning a lot faster as the heat of the summer causes the battery in your car to expand as well causing the battery’s inner fluid to evaporate. There is simply no way to prevent it in many cases, but when a vehicle’s battery is dead, it needs to be replaced.
Engine Oil Problems
The engine’s oil is important to consider since it’s one of the crucial elements that help the engine work smoothly and preserve its moving parts when summer comes around. When the temperature is higher than usual, the oil reduces its ability to lubricate the engine’s components properly, and oil becomes thinner and loses some of its viscosity. Due to the camshaft, the valves, the piston assembly, and the connecting rods experiencing excessive and premature wear on some engine parts, the engine’s efficiency is affected which will likely result in a breakdown and expensive repairs at some point. Remember to change the oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, or as instructed in your owner’s manual to make sure the oil is able to lubricate the engine as it’s supposed to at all times and inspect the oil level every couple of weeks to ensure oil it is sufficient. You may also consider a switch to synthetic oil if your vehicle is older. Synthetic oil has been field-proven to provide better protection than conventional oil and is one of the best qualities of synthetic is its stability at all temperature ranges. Also, at high temperatures or thicken in subzero temperatures, the synthetic oil is much less prone to thin out.
Towing & Roadside Assistance in Irving, Fort Worth, Arlington, Carrollton & Plano Texas
Whether you need a tow or roadside assistance, if you find you need assistance from the summer’s heat negative impact on your vehicle, call the professionals at Speedway Towing & Roadside Assistance is ready to help in the Greater Irving, TX area.