Summer Driving Advice

Everyone loves the summer- the warm weather,checked and the coolant levels checked. For other
the bathing suits and the opportunity to put thepeople, this may mean having their tires rotated,
top down on your convertible, etc. But whata fuel injection, changing air filters and having their
about the condition of your car? When I firstalignment checked.
bought my Jeep, it was during the summer. ISomething to keep in mind for summer driving
bought the car brand new, but no sooner had Iregarding the maintenance of your vehicle is
driven off of the parking lot, that that was whenmaking sure that you wash it regularly. While no
I noticed that the air conditioning wasn't working.one likes to drive around in car that is externally
If you haven't spent a summer in North Carolina,dirty, it is more important to make sure that you
then you have no idea how bad it can be to notpay close attention to the undercarriage of your
have air conditioning working in your car. I had tocar- especially if you live near the beach. For
turn right around and go back to the dealership toinstance, when I was growing up on Long Island,
have the issue addressed.we were right on the ocean. Because of this,
After sever trips back and forth to thethere was significantly more salt water in the air.
dealership, the issue with the air conditioning wasAs many people are already aware of, salt water
successfully resolved. However, you should keepin the air can actually contribute to the erosion of
in mind the fact that things like this will come upyour car's paint. It can also cause damaging rust
when you own a car; and more often than not, itand other types of erosion and wear and tear to
always seems as if these sorts of things happenthe underside of your car. When you wash your
when you least expect them to. Therefore, whencar, you are washing off the salt water residue
you are driving during the summer months (andthat can sometimes hang heavy in the air. This is,
even before), you should make sure you haveperhaps, why you will see car washes located so
your vehicle inspected. For some people, havingconveniently close to the beach. It is because
their car inspected is something that happens atpeople are washing the salt water off of their
least twice a year. There is something calledvehicles.
preventive maintenance for the summer as wellOther advice for driving during the summer is to
as preventive maintenance for the winter months.use a sunshade so that you decrease the
For example, before the winter months hit, mytemperature of the interior of your vehicle. Other
mother always has her Honda checked out at thebits of advice include getting tinted windows as
dealership to make sure that it is ready for thewell as making sure that you are always fueled
winter months. This can mean something asup. Never drive around on a gas tank that is
simple as having the oil changed, the hosesalmost empty!