As you’d expect, tires are paramount to safety, comfort, and fuel efficiency, so it’s important to check their condition.

Air pressure – 1,000 km: Every road tripper wants to get the best fuel efficiency, and under-inflated tires are guaranteed to waste gas. Conversely, over-inflated tires make ride quality worse because they’re less compliant. Incorrect air pressure also causes tires to wear unevenly and need replacement sooner. Be checking tire pressure every 1,000 km, so depending on the length of your trip, that could be a few times

Rotation – 8,000 to 10,000 km: Even if tire pressure is correct, variations in suspension calibration, weight balance, and road conditions make tires wear out at different rates. Because of this, it’s important to periodically rotate tires between different locations on your car. Swapping between the right and left side or front and rear helps tires last longer because they’re each exposed to similar variations. Tire rotations should be completed every 8,000 to 10,000 km.

Replacement – 40,000 to 80,000 km: If you think your tires are nearing their expiration date, the 50c test is an easy way to check. While tires last anywhere from 40,000 to 80,000 miles depending on their type and use, if damage like punctures or sidewall bulges occur, replace them immediately.

The arrival of spring always stirs up a longing for adventure. After months cooped up inside, blue skies and warm weather are reason enough to load up your car and hit the highway.

However, your best planning will be undone if you can’t depend on your car. A breakdown on your daily commute is one thing, but what if your car leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere? Car care is necessary year-round, but especially before a road trip, so complete these basic maintenance tasks before becoming a horror movie cliché.

Fluids

Fluids are the lifeblood of any car. Service intervals on your car’s six essential fluids usually depend on mileage, so consider how far you’ve driven since your last one, and how far you plan on driving on your trip, to decide what needs attention.

Oil: You don’t need to be a car expert to know that oil is critical for an engine. It lubricates moving components like the pistons, crankshaft, and camshaft so they can move smoothly without friction. Oil should be changed every 5,000 to 7,000 km. If you’ve gotten an oil change within that range, use the dipstick to check the oil condition and fill level. If it’s black, gritty, or below the minimum, get it checked out right away.

Radiator fluid: Engines produce a lot of heat and the radiator keeps it cool. Radiator fluid, also known as coolant or antifreeze, works to extract heat from the engine and dissipate it through the radiator. A low coolant level will also likely result in overheating, so check your coolant and top it off if need be, and make sure to flush the system at 80,000 km intervals.

Brake fluid: When you push the bake pedal, fluid—yes, fluid—compresses inside the brake lines, forcing the brake pads to clamp on the rotors and slow your car. If you ever notice that the pedal feels spongy or has extra travel, the fluid may be contaminated. Be sure to top off the brake fluid if necessary, and flush it every 60,000 km.

Power steering fluid: Modern cars use power steering to make turning the wheel easy at any speed, but this fluid can also become contaminated, making your steering wheel less responsive. About 35,000 km you’re going to want to get your braking system checked out.

Transmission fluid: Not much ruins a drive like a transmission that jerks when it shifts. Transmission fluid helps gears mesh smoothly, and when it goes bad, uncomfortable shifts can be the result. Fortunately, transmission fluid lasts a long time, and some cars are even sold with so-called “lifetime” transmission fluid. Generally, though, it’s a good idea to replace the fluid at 100,000 km. Increased problems are likely with transmission fluid older than 120,000 km.

Windshield fluid: Long drives mean a dirty car, and there’s nothing on your car’s exterior more important to keep clean than the windshield. After all, you have to be able to see where you’re going. Adding windshield washer fluid is super basic – get a jug of fluid at any gas station, then simply use a funnel to fill up your reservoir if it gets low.

Your car is not immune to negative effects caused by such heat. Here are 10 simple ways to protect your vehicle from sun damage:

1. Regularly check your fluid levels: When it’s hot outside, the fluids in your car can get used up more quickly than under normal circumstances. If you happen to be low on coolant, transmission fluid, or oil anyway, then that sub-optimal condition coupled with high temperatures increases the chance of damage to your car.
2. Have your battery tested once or twice each summer: When it’s hot outside, there is often a higher load placed on your car’s battery from running systems like the air conditioning. Periodic testing of your battery and charging system in general prevents you from unpleasant surprises (i.e. the car not starting) on hot days.
3. Get the air filters checked: There is typically more dust and debris circulating in the air during the warmer months, particularly in arid climates, and this can clog the air filters in your car. If this happens, your gas mileage may suffer, and it could even damage your mass air flow sensor, which helps regulate the air and fuel levels in your engine.
4. Use reflector sun panels on your front and rear dashes: While it may seem like a hassle to whip these fold-out panels out every time you go to the store, it pays off in the long run. These panels greatly reduce the overall temperature inside your car, which you’ll appreciate when you return, and need to use less air conditioning to cool the car. These panels also help to prevent the bleaching effect the sun has on your interior surfaces and upholstery, which can lower the value of your car should you wish to sell it.
5. Perform tire pressure checks monthly: Extreme heat, trapped air, and rubber can be a volatile combination, and it’s one on which your entire vehicle rests in the summer months. Under-inflated tires are more likely to blow out in high temperatures, so prevent accidents (and poor gas mileage) by checking your tire pressure at least once a month. Do this as early in the day as possible when the temperatures are coolest for the most accurate pressure readings.
6. Park smart: If you have the choice between parking your car in the middle of a blazing parking lot or under a broad tree, opt for the shade. This doesn’t require any fancy props and will keep your car’s interior as cool as possible.
7. Regularly clean your car’s interior: The pairing of dust and hot sun can wreak havoc on your interior, essentially caking grime onto your dash and other surfaces. With periodic cleaning, however, this becomes a non-issue; just be sure to use cleaners intended for automobile use to avoid stains and unnecessarily drying out materials at risk of cracking.
8. Wash and hand-dry your car often: Just as dust and debris can cake onto your interior surfaces when exposed to high temperatures, your exterior paint can suffer in the summer sun. Frequently wash your vehicle to keep the surface clean, and dry it thoroughly by hand with a soft cloth, so bits of minerals and grime don’t stick to the residual moisture after a rinse.
9. Use a protective wax: It’s not enough just to clean your car from time to time; you should wax it at least twice a year to lock in the natural oils in the exterior paint and provide a layer of protection not just from grimy bits that can scratch the surface, but also from the sun’s rays.
10. Consider paint protection film: If you truly want to be vigilant against potential sun damage to your car, you may want to invest in a paint protection film kit. Some kits only cover the acrylic headlights, but some kits are available that cover your entire vehicle. If you adopt some or all of these simple tips to provide protection from the hot sun, your car will age more gracefully, much like your skin will with the regular application of sunscreen. They don’t take much effort to implement, and these small actions can save a lot of money down the road and help retain your car’s value over time.

Summer is here and school’s out! Unfortunately that also means the sun is out too and the heat is rising.

The combination of sun and heat can be damaging to your car.

However it’s not just the outside of your car you need to pay extra attention to, you need to take special care of your car’s interior as well.

Based on research from Popular Mechanics, interior air temperatures have been recorded well in excess of 45°C and vehicle interior surface temperatures on areas directly exposed to sunlight run in the excess of 95°C.

That’s hot.

Take not we are not just talking about dashboard and seats that you need to care for. Nope. Your car’s engine may also be at risk.

The following tips are meant to have you ready no matter whether or not you live in a warm climate year-round or just require protection during the hot summer months.

And keep in mind your ABC’s: Always Be Cool.

Interior Care During Summer Months:

There’s an easy tip: park in the shade.

If you can manage to avoid direct sunlight, you will prevent any part of your interior from drying and/or cracking. If your car does not prevent it and if you trust the neighborhood, feel free open the windows a crack to help lower the interior temperature and equalize the air pressure.

One of the best things is getting a windshield sun protector. This makes a significant difference in keeping your car’s interior cool and preventing sun damage. They may look a little silly cumbersome at first, but are very easy to use. Find the size that fits your car.

Clean your dash.  The combinations of dust and dirt can cause tiny scratches that can become worse over time especially in heat.

Clean your seats or cover them up. Whether you have leather or fabric seats, whenever you park your car you need to cover them up to minimize direct sunlight. This will also keep them from frying your butt when you get in. Take special care for leather seats by regularly applying a leather conditioner. The sun and heat really messes up that luxurious leather you paid up for.

Protecting Your Car Under-the-Hood during Summer:

Be sure to check your cooling system often. You need to ensure your engine does not overheat. Inspects all belts checked and have all the antifreeze/coolant drained then replaced on a regular basis as recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer.

The possibilities of experiencing overheat only increases when fluid levels are below recommended levels. This is why before you drive you should check motor oil levels and also transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and brake fluid.

If any of your vehicle’s fluids need to be topped off, double check your owner’s manual about the types of fluids you need.

Check that battery. Extreme temperatures, hot or cold coupled with high accessory loads (use of the vehicles air conditioning or heating) can cause your car’s battery to wear out and fail quicker than otherwise. This is where a professional mechanic comes in. A professional will make sure your car’s battery is functioning properly.

Make sure your air conditioning works. That AC not only keeps you comfortable, that comfort is in fact a key for you driving alertly. If your car never feels cool enough, the refrigerant charge level in the air conditioning system may be low. If the problem persists, there may be a more serious problem and you will need to have it checked by a professional.

ABC: Always be cool, no matter how hot it gets. The combined efforts of preventative maintenance and simple upkeep will keep you on the road.

Covers For Reflecting Intense Sunlight

If you have no choice but to park under the blazing sun, a cover designed to reflect the maximum amount of sunlight will keep your interior much cooler, and it will protect your paint from sun fade that occurs under the relentless onslaught of UV rays.

If you live in such climates year-round (with no winter weather), we’ve got a choice of covers designed to prevent the highest level of UV intrusion. There’s Intro-Tech’s Intro-Guard Car Cover that features 2-layer construction with an aluminized polyurethane acrylic coating for sun reflection. This cover’s good for those who don’t need a high level of ding protection and prefer a thinner cover that takes less room to store.

 

Vehicle Specific Vs. Universal Fit Covers

We have both custom-fit (“vehicle-specific”) and universal-fit car covers. Our related article Should I Get A Custom-Fit or Universal Car Cover discusses these types more in depth. In this article, we will stick with the custom-fit ones. Whichever type you select, your cover will feature sturdy elastic around its entire bottom perimeter to ensure it clings as snugly as possible to your vehicle on all sides.

All-Weather Car Covers

For best value, we’ll start with Covercraft’s Block-It 380 Custom Car Cover – a medium weight cover which provides excellent resistance to rain along with good protection against dust, snow, UV rays, and dings. And if you’ve got a 1976-present Jeep CJ/Wrangler, the Smittybilt Car Cover and Crown 3-layer Full Car Cover are sized specifically for these 4x4s.

 

Moving up to heavier weight covers that offer even more resistance to rain, dirt, and dings, we’ve got the Covercraft 4-layer Evolution Car Cover, Covercraft 4-layer NOAH Car Cover, Coverking 4-layer Coverbond Custom Car Cover, EMPI 4-layer Deluxe Gray Car Cover (classic VW Beetles, Squarebacks, and Karmann Ghias), and Rampage Custom-Fit 4-Layer Breathable Car Cover (Ford Broncos, Jeeps, and other select models).

We all know that the sun gives off UV light that damages our skin, but do you also know that it can damage your car? Living in Singapore where the summer season is all year round, you need to be better prepared to protect your beloved car from sun damage!

1. Use windshield sun shade.

Too much sunlight will cause your dashboard and steering wheel to suffer if you park your car under the sun. To protect the interior of your car, use a windshield sun shade to reduce the heat that’s beaming down. You may also choose to use one for your rear windshield.

2. Consider tinted windows.

You could consider tinting your windows as an option, if you frequently park your car in the sun. Your front windshield and two front side windows should allow 70% of light through, while the rear windows and rear passenger windows require at least 25%. Do also note that front windshield tint shouldn’t obstruct the IU transactions on ERPs.

3. Park in the shade.

Park your car in an indoor car-park or shady spot whenever possible. This is the best way to protect your car’s paintwork and also reduce the heat damage to your interior.

4. Do a monthly check on your tyre pressure.

When you’re constantly driving in hot weather, your tyres tend to inflate due to the rising temperature. And when your inflated tyres come into contact with the hot road surfaces, the added friction combined with high speeds will cause your tyres to blowout easily! That is why you need to perform checks on your tyre pressure at least once a month to ensure that your tyres are correctly inflated.

5. Clean your interior periodically.

Dust combined with the heat can fade and weaken your car’s interior. To protect your interior components and the upholstery, conduct regular cleaning to prevent potential damages. Keep in mind to use cleaning products that are intended for automobile use, or you may also use coffee filter or olive oil.

6. Invest in paint protection film.

To protect for the exterior from sun damage, you may consider investing in a paint protection film kit that doesn’t interfere with the beauty of your car. This invisible shield can also protect your car from small dents, sand and minor scratches!

7. Wax your car.

Use a protective wax at least twice a year to lock the natural oils into the paintwork. Waxing also provides an extra layer of protection for your exterior from the sun’s rays!

8. Check your coolant regularly.

Fluids in your car get used up faster in hot weather conditions and this increases the risks of damage to your car. If the fluid levels are low, top up your coolant when necessary. Do note that you shouldn’t open the cap when the car is still running hot!

Fluids in your car get used up faster in hot weather conditions and this increases the risks of damage to your car. If the fluid levels are low, top up your coolant when necessary. Do note that you shouldn’t open the cap when the car is still running hot!

You may love the heat of summer, but you need to help your car keep its cool when temperatures rise. An engine that runs too hot can damage the vehicle and threaten your safety. Here are some tips we’ve compiled to help prevent your car from overheating:

Preventing Your Car from Overheating

1. Park in the shade

You can feel the temperature difference between the shade and the sun – and so can your car. Parking in the shade not only keeps you cool, but can prolong the life of your car. No shady spot? Use a sunshade to reduce heat inside the car.

2. Tint your windows

A local dealership or auto body shop can apply tinted windows to help keep your car cooler, and protect your interior from sun damage.

3. Use a sun shade

Keeping a sun shade in the car is helpful because you can’t always guarantee that you’ll find a shaded or covered area to park in. These UV heat shields will keep the interior from getting super-hot, plus it protects your interior from the damaging effects of the sun. You might even consider getting a custom-made sun screen that is designed to fit your make and model of car. These special shades can be more effective at keeping all of the rays out.

4. Get rid of hot air

Closed windows trap hot air, and the glass serves as a conductor that helps heat up the enclosed space. Leave your windows open slightly so the air can escape – and if you have a sunroof, crack that, too. Make sure the opening is not large enough for someone to reach through. If you leave your windows cracked, remember to keep an eye on the weather – one sudden summer storm could lead to a soggy interior.

5. Turn the floor vents on

Most people get in the car and turn the upper vents on “high” to get the air flowing. But you’re actually better off directing the air through the floor vents. Hot air rises, so switch to the bottom vents and put your blower on the maximum setting to push that air out. Then, once the car begins cooling, you can open the upper vents again.

6. Use the fresh air setting on your A/C

Using the re-circulation setting means you’re just moving that hot, trapped air around your vehicle, so that’s something you want to use after your car has had the chance to cool down. Give it 10 minutes or so, then switch over.

7. Keep your eye on the temperature gauge

 Located on the dashboard, the device has a needle that should always be pointing toward the center. If it points toward hot, pull over, turn off the engine and let the car cool down.

8. Turning on the heat

Turning on the heat may be the last thing you want to do on a hot summer day, but it can pull hot air from the engine compartment and cool the engine. It won’t fix the underlying problem, but it’s a good measure for long drives.

9. Add engine coolant

This is especially important in hot months. To check the coolant level, open the hood and locate the coolant reservoir. The coolant level is shown by indicator lines on the reservoir. If too low, simply add the appropriate amount of coolant and reattach the cap. Engine coolant is often sold as a 50/50 mix of water and coolant. You can also buy concentrated coolant and mix it yourself.

Safety tip: Never add coolant to a hot engine. Wait for the engine to cool before removing the cap or pouring in coolant.

10. Have your cooling system flushed by a mechanic

Even if you keep engine coolant at the right levels, it will eventually get dirty and need to be replaced. Flushing involves draining old coolant from the radiator, cleaning it with flush fluid and adding new coolant. Mechanics recommend a flush every 40,000 miles, but check your owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommendation.

11. Consider replacing your battery

If your car battery is older than three years, it may not be providing the power it once did, so your car has to work harder and can overheat. Your mechanic can help you determine whether you may need a new battery.

If you find yourself in a situation where your car overheats, follow these steps to ensure you and your vehicle remain safe:

• Pull over, park your car and turn off the engine as soon as possible. Let your car cool for a minimum of 10 minutes.
• Open the hood of your car to allow the heat to clear out quickly.
• Once your car has cooled off, turn the ignition to its first position (don’t start the engine). If you see that the temperature gauge is within a normal range and engine fluid levels are sufficient, try to start the engine.
• If the engine makes unusual sounds or it does not start at all, it’s best to stay on the safe side and call for roadside assistance to have your car towed. This will allow for a mechanic to inspect it and make the necessary repairs.

What can cause your car to overheat?

Hot temperatures alone might not be causing your vehicle to overheat. If your car’s cooling systems aren’t functioning correctly, it can lead to serious damage to your engine and expensive repairs. Here are a few common engine problems that can cause your car to run hot that you should know about:

• Coolant: Every car has a cooling system to help keep the temperature of the engine down. If your cooling system has a leak, blockage or pump malfunction, the coolant might not be able to circulate properly. Cooling system malfunctions aren’t just problematic when it’s hot out; very cold temperatures can cause coolant to freeze and prevent circulation.
• Thermostat: Another possible issue could be a problem with the thermostat. A vehicle’s thermostat is responsible for regulating the amount of coolant flowing through the engine. A broken or malfunctioning one can easily cause your car to overheat.
• Low Oil: A car’s oil does more than just lubricate moving parts. It also helps to remove excess heat from the engine. If your vehicle has low oil, it might be causing your car to run hot.
• Radiator Fan: If your cooling fan isn’t turning on or running at the right level, it can case your car to overheat. Radiator fans usually run on electric motors, so any motor mechanical problems can lead to your fan not providing enough cool air flow.

Coolant/antifreeze is the most important fluid under the bonnet, maintaining the temperature of the engine to prevent overheating. But what happens to a car when there’s no coolant in the system?

What happens to an engine with no coolant?

Coolant/antifreeze circulates through the engine, maintaining the correct working temperature of different components. If your car runs out of coolant on the road, you’ll likely experience the following:

1. Dashboard warning light or abnormal temperature gauge – The first sign of low coolant should be a dashboard warning light, or a rising temperature gauge.

2. Automatic engine cut-off – If you drive a modern car, it will be fitted with an automatic engine cut-off feature. This is designed to prevent damage when the engine starts to heat up due to lack of coolant. You won’t be able to drive the car further until it’s cooled down.

3. Damage to engine parts – If your car doesn’t have a cut-off feature and you continue driving, you’ll risk damaging parts of the engine that are running too hot. This may not only lead to pricey repair bills, but could result in permanent and irreparable damage.

The parts of your car that can be affected by overheating failure include:

• Water pump
• Head gasket
• Cylinder and piston timing
• Cylinder head
• Warped or bent connector rods
• Crank failure

4. Other symptoms of low or no coolant – Aside from the mechanical engine issues caused by low to no coolant, you could notice other problems such as billowing steam, a dangerously hot bonnet and no control over the interior heating system. if you notice any of these, pull over to try and prevent even more damage.

 

 

How modern engines deal with low coolant and overheating

Running out of coolant/antifreeze won’t necessarily cause instant damage though, depending on your car. In modern, high-end cars, the engine control unit (ECU) often features a safe/limp-home mode, which reduces the risk of damage by firing cylinders in a different sequence. This means that cool air from the inlet is fed into one bank of cylinders at a time, allowing the other rack to cool slightly between firing. This gives the option of driving further even when the engine is overheating, which could be enough to get home or to a garage.

As well as this, many new cars feature automatic cut-off, which is designed to protect the engine from heat damage. This uses the cooling system’s thermostat to kill power to the engine when the temperature reaches a certain point, and means that the car can’t be restarted until it has cooled down sufficiently.

 

Warning signs of low coolant

Before your car’s engine starts taking heat damage or cuts out, there are several warning signs that can alert you to a cooling system fault. It’s important to be able to recognise these signs as, depending on the age and condition your car, the engine may sustain damage before the dashboard warning light comes on.

Common warning signs to look out for include:

• High-temperature gauge creeping towards the red – Drive your car for long enough, and you’ll become familiar with where the temperature gauge should sit when everything’s ok. If the needle begins to creep towards the red, this is your first indicator that there’s something wrong with the cooling system. If you see the gauge move, pull over and pop the bonnet. This will not only cool the engine before it sustains damage, but will allow you to begin diagnosing the problem – whether it’s something simple like a leaf blocking the radiator air intake or a serious coolant leak.
• Heater not working or blowing constant hot air – Your car’s heater uses the same residual heat which is collected from the engine by the cooling system. So, in the event of a fault, you may notice things going wrong with the internal heating system. This can either be a complete lack of heat or a constant flow of hot air (even on cold); either way, it won’t be pleasant, and could be warning you about a larger problem beneath the bonnet.
• Poor fuel economy – When your car engine runs at the right temperature, fuel can burn efficiently keeping consumption low. As the engine temperature changes, fuel can’t burn as effectively, increasing emissions from the exhaust. If you notice a dip in recorded MPG, check your coolant level and watch the temperature gauge for signs of overheating.
• A sweet smell – Coolant/antifreeze has a distinct, sweet odour. If it leaks out of the cooling system, you may be able to smell it in the cabin, particularly if the engine is hot. Being able to recognise different engine fluid odours is a good way to diagnose potential problems quickly without your car sustaining significant damage. [link to leaks blog]
• Coolant dashboard light – The engine coolant light normally appears as a thermometer with a series of wavy lines next to it, illuminated in red. This shows that the engine has reached its temperature limit, and you should pull over. Normally, a low coolant level is caused by a leak, so you should try to locate its source. If it’s only small, you may be able to refill the reservoir and continue driving to a safe location without losing much fluid.

Beat the heat before it beats you

As heat waves once again sweep our nation—continually expanding throughout the West and searing through the North—it is important to be mindful of the risks and potential dangers of such devastating heat. Heat is a powerful force (it can even prevent airplanes from flying!), so information is definitely power here.

When it comes to heat safety tips, we remind you to stay hydrated and to never leave children or pets unattended in vehicles, as hot cars can quickly turn deadly.How often do you think about effects of heat, especially as it pertains to your vehicle?

The visual and somatic effects of a summer heat wave are easy to recognize—beads of sweat dripping off your brow, sunburned ears, ice cream melting faster than you can eat it, the familiar burn of fleshy thighs on a black leather car seat—it’s a real treat, isn’t it? But what about the cues that might be a little less visible? How do scorching temperatures affect what’s under the hood?

How temperature affects your lubricants

Temperature affects oil, pure and simple. Generally speaking, temperatures affect an oil’s viscosity which can, in turn, affect your automotive engine (you can learn all about viscosity here).

In the past, motorists would compensate for seasonal temperature changes by using different grades of oil during different times of the year: lightweight oils in cold weather and heavier oils in the hot temperature months. At the time, this was necessary to maintain proper engine lubrication. Extremely cold temperatures can cause the fluid to actually congeal, causing improper oil flow throughout the engine, and therefore not providing adequate lubrication; conversely, using an engine oil with too low a viscosity (particularly in high temperatures) would not provide sufficient film between the metal-to-metal contact.

Multivoscosity oils have made seasonal engine oils rather unnecessary, as they are specifically developed to operate within a wider temperature range thanks to Viscosity Index Improvers. VI improvers compensate for the range of temperatures to which an automotive engine may be exposed. An example of a common multiviscosity grade oil is 5W-20, where the “W” stands for “winter” and the lower “W” rating represents a lower pour point. The additives within these multiviscosity oils enable the oil to efficiently lubricate the engine upon initial startup, but reach manufacturer specifications by the time the engine reaches its operating temperature.

Extreme temperatures on either end of the spectrum can cause lubricant degradation.

Hot oil’s best for frying potatoes

Lubricants don’t really get better as they age, and heat only further stresses them out (causing the lubricant equivalent of fine lines and wrinkles, you could say). Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist, won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1903 when he discovered the relationship between temperature and (most) chemical reaction rates. The Arrhenius Rate Rule applies to lubricants in that once they have exceeded their base activation temperature, lubricants will degrade twice as fast for every 18°F (10°C) increase in temperature.

Oxidation is the most common reaction of an in-service lubricant (Machinery Lubrication has a thorough breakdown of what lubricant oxidation is here). Heat can accelerate the oxidation process on Arrhenius’ principle, as mentioned above. Oxidation can cause a variety of problems for your engine oil, including viscosity increase, sludge and sediment formation, loss in foam control, rust formation and corrosion.

Other consequences of high temperature on lubricants include the following:

• Additives may volatilize and escape into atmosphere
• VI improvers shear down more rapidly
• Microbial contaminants thrive in warm temperatures
• Hot oil shortens filter and seal life
• Accelerated corrosion
• Both oil and gas more prone to leakage
• Formation of carbonaceous gum and resins

Don’t let your lubricants give you the cold shoulder, either

While it will probably be a while until we need to worry about freezing temperatures, knowledge is power!

These are some of the consequences of cold lubricants you should be mindful of come winter:

• Blended base oils can undergo phase separation
• Paraffinic base-stocks can become waxy and gel
• Additives depending on heat-induces chemical reactions can fail to perform
• Additives can become insoluble and settle, clot, and/or form deposits
• Oil can become viscous
• Engines may cease to crank/moving parts may lock up
• Oil-lifting devices may fail to work

Play it safe

We certainly feel the burn during these record breaking heat waves, and we must always be mindful that temperature is always a powerful force, so take caution when dealing with such extremes. Be mindful of yourself, those around you, and your automobile: if you’re planning a vacation, it’s always a good idea to check your fluid’s before starting that cross-country road trip€¦don’t want to get stuck on the side of the road in the middle of a heat wave because of engine failure