Changes to your car you may notice during the summer months

All too often, we focus more on how the winter months affect our car but fail to look at the impact that the warmer summer months will have on it.

Whilst winter comes with its own unique challenges for car owners, hotter weather will also bring with it its own battles.

With the UK experiencing heatwave after heatwave, summer 2022 is one for the record books, and therefore you may have noticed a number of things on your vehicle that you simply don’t have an answer for. Below we will take you through some of the impacts the summer months will have on your car and why they happen.

What changes could happen to your vehicle?

A louder engine

Any noise out of the ordinary can be a worry for drivers; in the summer months you may hear loud noises coming from your engine bay at intervals when driving slowly. This is down to your engine cooling fan cutting in and out as your drive. It will kick in when the temperature of your engine water reaches a certain point. When your car is moving at an average speed you are less likely to hear this noise as air flow will suffice in cooling the water.

Water forming beneath car

When walking to your car on a summer’s morning, you may notice puddles of water that have formed under your car. This is not a sign to panic, pools of water are typically caused by your car’s air conditioning system. Your car is designed to release condensed water in this way so don’t fret! If the water is an unusual colour, however, it may be a sign of an underlying issue and you should therefore call a mechanic.

Smoke

Another worrying sign caused by your air conditioning unit is white smoke coming from your air vents when you turn your car on. This smoke is water vapour from the hot air outside; if it passes too quickly through your air conditioning system, it will sometimes not have enough time to turn to water droplets, and therefore comes straight through the system in the form of smoke. This will stop as you run your air con for a longer period of time. Of course, if the smoke in question has a distinct smell, it is once again time to call in the experts.

Sticky residue on car

It’s not just the winter that can cause havoc to your car’s cleanliness. In the summer, if parking under a tree, you will often find small droplets of sap on your car. When left, this can harden and cause damage to your car’s paintwork. This means that you should regularly clean your car and ensure your windscreen wash is topped up.

Looking for more hints and tips on all things car maintenance? Take a look through our latest articles here.