How to Keep Your Car Cool in the Summer

We understand that this Florida heat is a scorcher. Florida’s heat is extremely exhausting to us in our overly hot cars. So, we created a list of tips on how to keep your car cool in the summer to help you efficiently cool down your car fast. 

Park in the shade 

Parking in the shade minimizes the amount of sun beating down on your car. This tip is something many of us do but don’t realize the impact it has until later in the day. Your vehicle will be way cooler if it is not sitting in the sun.  

Use a sunshade 

Sunshades reflect the heat from the sun away from your car’s interior. This tip is self-explanatory; however, it is a crucial part of keeping the heat mostly away from your car. Other than cooling your car’s interior, sun shades also provide a way to prevent your car’s interior from fading. Sunshades help keep electronics stored within your car from overheating and provide some security by obstructing the view into your vehicle from the outside. 

Set the A/C to the lowest temp 

Setting your car’s a/c this way will help the air conditioner start cooling the air right away. Believe it or not, some people do not usually set their a/c to the lowest setting or don’t change it at all. This can lead to your air conditioner heating its air instead of cooling, causing your car to become even warmer than when you got in.  

Roll down your windows 

Rolling down your windows is the first part of this step. Next, turn your ventilation towards the floor. This tip can help get the hot air out of your car fast. Turning your ventilation towards the floor can help lift the hot air. As a result of the cool air pushing it up, the hot air will rise to allow for it to escape through your open windows. This makes room for colder air to be present from your air conditioning. 

Make sure that your air conditioning is not set to max

The max feature for your car’s air conditioning pulls air from the passenger side into the a/c unit to cool and pumps it back out at you. If you turn the max feature off, your car’s a/c is then pulling air only from the outside to cool you. The outside air is fresher and not as hot as the air trapped within your vehicle while being parked.  

Do not let your car idle to pre-cool

Your car cools better while you are driving. The air compressor cycles faster taking in more air while you drive. The engine moves more as you drive, which allows for better cooling as opposed to just letting the car idle. 

Turn off the air recirculation feature

You can make it hotter in the back of the car by not turning off your air recirculation. With this feature, you can create stale air that is not being touched by the air conditioner. Plus, that would not be fun if you have backseat passengers riding along with you. 

Check your cabin air filter 

The cleaner the air filter the better. Maintaining a clean air filter can help with having stronger ventilation than if it was dirty. Plus, the cabin air filter helps filter the air that your car’s passengers breathe as well as the engine which can help with your car’s longevity. Click here to learn how to check your cabin air filter. 

Turn off the stop/start feature in newer cars

Without turning this feature off, your air conditioner will not be able to properly cool your car if it is constantly being turned on and off. Turning off this feature will allow your air conditioner to power up fully while out on the road. Shutting off this feature also helps to save fuel in the long run because you burn more fuel restarting your car than just letting it run after starting it once.  

Keep these tips in mind when you get in your car to help you beat the heat! Stay cool Orlando!