We’re all familiar with the need to look after our cars over the colder winter months, but seasonal car care doesn’t stop there; it’s just as important to look after your car when the sun is shining and the cold breeze is nowhere to be felt.
Autoparts has a range of accessories for all kinds of summer driving scenarios. Check out our pick of the best.
First, plan ahead
The thought of sitting idle on the motorway tailback in hot weather can be enough to bring you out in a cold sweat, so make sure you plan your journey in advance and check traffic websites, such as Traffic Scotland, Highways England or Traffic Wales, in case there is any roadworks or traffic congestion on your route.Alternatively, use a navigation app or in-car sat nav system to guide you.
For keeping your device or sat nav device in a fixed position during your drive, we recommend the Rockland Universal Mobile Phone & Device Holder, which can be mounted to a convenient and safe place on your front windscreen or side panel with a firm clamp to keep your device from moving around during the drive.
Keep your battery cool
Don’t let the rising heat pile the pressure on your vehicle’s battery – make sure it’s kept in good working order with regular drives to work it before embarking on any long summer trips. Doing more miles in the vehicle on a single trip will actually help battery performance, whereas shorter, stop-start drives ask a lot of it repeatedly.
Another useful tip is to leave the car in a shaded area while parked, for example underneath trees or in the shadow of a high wall or building. Leaving your car in the sun can lead to the battery becoming ‘parched’, which occurs whentoo much water evaporates from the battery’s electrolyte due to overheating.
Find batteries for your vehicle’s make and model in Autoparts’ extensive range.
Give pets a chance (to cool down)
Travelling long distances with a pet in the car is an extra challenge on a warm day, as rising temperatures in a confined space can be harder to deal with for animals who can’t simply open the window, swig some iced water, or set the air conditioning to cool and feel the benefit.Be sure to plan your journey so that you can stop and give your dog a chance to stretch its legs and have a ‘bathroom break’.
Equally important is keeping your pet hydrated; a pet travel water bottle would be ideal to ensure you have water on hand for your pet whenever they may need it.
You can also consider a pet cooling mat to monitor your pet’s temperature on the go.
Maintain a clear windscreen
Don’t add stress to a long and hot journey by letting flies, dirt and dust from dry roads affect your view. Use a top-class cleaning product like CarPlan All Seasons Ready Mixed Screenwash.
This screenwash is pre-mixed and specially formulated to instantly remove dust and grime - as well as swarms of midges - from a vehicle’s windscreen, leaving you with crystal-clear vision of the road ahead, allowing you to concentrate on the driving.
Pack for the long-haul
Picture the scene: you’re on a self-catering holiday for a long weekend, or longer, but the drive to get to your holiday destination feels almost as lengthy. And as well as worrying about pets, car batteries and your chosen route, there’s a grocery shop in the back to keep cool.
One way to keep you and your cabin crew happy is with some chilled food and drinks to snack on during your journey, which you can refill once on any outings during your holiday .
A storage and cooler unit could fit snugly into a car boot, while storing supplies for your travel and your stay. With separate compartments that are perfect for storing different food types and drinks containers safely and securely, you’ll be able to drive easy, safe in the knowledge that they’ll stay cool for hours.
Autoparts has thousands of products in its range of tools, parts and accessories, available online in the Products section.
