1. Keep It in the Shade
The one common-sense piece of advice all drivers naturally know is to keep their ride in the shade. This decreases the chance of it suffering under the sun for too long.
But let me just tell you — that shade is elusive! Not only is it sometimes impossible to find, but it’s also kind of fickle. Naturally, shade moves with the sun, so you may find your vehicle under the full blast of the sun even if you had parked in the shade.
If you want to avoid this at all costs, you can find an underground parking structure if one is nearby. Also, if you know you’re going to leave your ride outside for long periods of time, you may want to get a car cover as well.
2. Wash Often and Hand Dry
High temperatures can fuse all of the dust and residue onto the surface of the vehicle. Between the regular debris and the bird excrement, the dirt on your car could cause serious damages to the paint or the clear overcoat. So if you want to avoid having to get a new coat of paint, you’re going to need to wash your car often.
Furthermore, manually drying it is also very important, at least if you’re washing it outdoors. After all, dust will settle onto the wet surface before you’ve even had a chance to take a photo of your squeaky clean ride.
3. Apply a UV Protection Wax
After you’ve done such a great job cleaning and drying your vehicle, you can add a few coats of automotive wax. Some of these products can actually provide your paint with long-lasting protection. For example, this CarGuys Liquid Wax has a built-in UV ray protection.
Use it on your paint, glass, and rims — just rub it in with the applicator pad that comes with the wax. The wax also comes with a microfiber towel you can use to dry the car off before applying the wax.
4. Consider Paint Protection Film
If you don’t think that wax is enough protection against the damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun, you could opt for another type of physical barrier. Paint protection films are much more difficult to install than applying wax. They can be in a roll, like this VViViD 3M Clear Paint Protection Vinyl Film, or cut up in ready-to-install pieces. Either way, you’ll probably need a professional to apply it.
Still, some people do prefer something like this to defend against scratches and paint fading. In fact, it would even make it easier to get rid of bugs and road tar. However, I should mention that this really won’t protect you from the heat, which is what we’re trying to curtail.
5. Check Tire Pressure
As you may have guessed, hot temperatures are also going to affect the shape of your tires. Generally, with every 10-degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature, the tire pressure will also increase by 1 psi. Although low tire pressure is much more dangerous than high pressure, there are still disadvantages to driving on overly taut tires. Namely, taut rubber is easier to puncture and damage.
So you may want to keep a tire pressure gauge in your glove compartment during the summer. That way, you can check in on your tires regularly or when you feel them performing badly. And most importantly, you can fix the issue immediately.
