5 ways to maintain and protect your car in a heatwave

Extreme heat can put extra stresses on your car and, in some instances, impact its performance, from the engine to the tyres.

RAC Roadside Assistance Patrols attend more breakdowns during summer than at any other time of year, including call-outs for overheated engines.

So, if the weather forecast indicates a heatwave is due, here are five quick car checks to help ensure your car is prepared for extreme summer heat.

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1. Check your oil

When temperatures soar, your car's engine is more likely to overheat. Oil prevents that from happening, so checking and replacing your oil in summer - and particularly, ahead of a heatwave - is a must.

Before you check your oil, make sure your engine is cool by letting it sit for a few hours after driving. Checking while your engine is warm could cause liquid to spray out and inflict a burn. If you're after further advice or need help checking your oil, check out our guide on how to do a basic car check.

Checking and replacing your oil in summer can prevent your car from overheating

2. Check your coolant

Car coolant protects engines from overheating - so keeping your coolant levels topped up is a trusty preventative measure to take when the temperature rises.

As with your oil check, make sure your engine is completely cool before checking your coolant levels. Markings on the side of your coolant bottle can help with detecting if you need a top-up.

3. Inspect your tyres

In summer, tyre pressure increases as the temperature rises. As a result, your tyres are at risk of over-inflation, which could lead to excessive tyre wear or the inability to brake with ease.

Check the pressure of your tyres at a petrol station or tyre shop with a gauge. Performing routine checks on your tyres can help identify any cuts, tears, bulges or worn tread. The legal minimum tread depth is 1.5 millimetres - so if your tread gets as low as this, you'll need to replace the tyre.

If you're unsure whether your tyres are in good shape, here's how to check if you need new tyres. Don't forget to check the spare.

4. When driving, keep an eye on the temperature gauge

If your car's temperature rises above the normal indicator when you're driving, pull over to a safe place and turn off your engine as soon as possible. Continuing to drive when this happens can significantly increase the damage to your engine, meaning more money on repairs.

By pulling over and calling Roadside Assistance, you can reduce the extent of the damage.

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If your car's temperature rises above the normal indicator while you're driving, pull over immediately

5. Have your battery checked

During boughts of extreme heat, chemicals within your car battery can become unbalanced. Therefore, it's important to have your battery checked by a qualified technician to maintain its performance.

During your battery check, the technician will examine it for corrosion, dirt build-up and charging rate as well as the fluid level (if applicable) to make sure your battery is in tip-top shape for summer.

Need some extra car advice as the weather heats up?

RAC members can call our free motoring advice helpline from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Find out more

Last updated January 2021