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Recently, the General Administration of Civil Defense has issued critical precautionary measures and warnings for the upcoming heatwave seasons.

They said:

“Temperatures are expected to rise to between 47 and 55 degrees Celsius in the coming days, and with cumulonimbus clouds causing strong winds in many areas, we have some important warnings and precautions to share,” said in the notice.

The notice gives precautions about:

  • Be careful of snakes; they may emerge from underground and could enter your home to escape from scorching heat
  • Consume more water and chilled liquids
  • Do not store a gas cylinder in direct sunlight
  • Don’t overload electricity meters
  • Try to stay indoors between  10 am – 3 pm

With that heat, there are also some precautionary measures for car owners as well, especially when parked outside; the greenhouse effect in the car can raise the interior temperature to over 65°C.

Here are some precautionary measures to take for your car during this extreme heatwave season.

Never Park in Front of Sunlight

Parking in direct sunlight with all windows closed will create a greenhouse effect inside the cabin. This means that while the sun’s heat can penetrate through the windows, it becomes trapped inside, causing the temperature inside the car to rise significantly higher than the temperature outside. If you’ve no other option, then use shades in the side and rear windows and use a sunshade reflector so sunlight can’t get into the cabin.

Greenhouse in the cabin is never good for your car’s interior as well; side effects include:

  • Crack in the dashboard
  • The steering wheel material deteriorates
  • Crack in the sunroof (if the sunroof is colored black)
  • Other plastic and PVC materials in the cabin, like door handles, door panels, and chrome parts, can fade and discolor over time

Most car manufacturers design their cabins to withstand extreme conditions like prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. However, certain items within the car may not fare as well under such conditions. Here are some precautions to take if you regularly park your car in direct sunlight:

Never Leave Medicines in the Parked Car

Medicines have a temperature limit, typically around 35°C, beyond which they may expire. The greenhouse effect in a parked car can raise the cabin’s temperature to over 65°C, nearly twice the maximum temperature they can withstand.

And this is something you might not even notice. You get back in your car and take your medicines, assuming they’re fine because the expiration date hasn’t passed, but they could be expired!

Never Leave Alcoholic Items (Body spray, car fresheners)

Items like body sprays and car fresheners have compressed liquid Alcohol in the can. During extreme heat, the compressed Alcohol turns into gas, and gas takes up more area than the same mass in liquid form. This rapid expansion can cause the container to burst, posing a serious threat to passengers and damaging the car interior.

Always make sure to hide all alcoholic items under the seat or put them in the glove box. While they may still become hot, but not enough to cause an explosion.

Park With Windows Rolled Down the 1 Cm (very risky)

If you’re parking in a secure area where there’s no theft risk and in a controlled area, you can park the car with the windows rolled down to 1 cm so the greenhouse effect can’t build up and heat can escape.

However, be cautious, as thieves can force the side windows down by inserting a rod, unlock the car from the inside, and get away with your car, especially in Karachi.

Use Coolant Instead of Water

While it might sound cheap, quick, and on-the-go to use water instead of dedicated coolant. In summer’s heatwave of Pakistan, it’s not good for your engine

How?

In a summer heatwave, water in the cooling pipes evaporates quickly and turns into gas due to its lower boiling point compared to coolant. Gas, due to its low density, is very ineffective in heat transfer, causing rapid engine overheating.

Therefore, only use a coolant in the radiator. It doesn’t turn into gas and hence maintains a proper cooling system in the engine in extreme heat conditions.

No Insurance or Warranty Claim

You should note that no insurance company in Pakistan will claim the greenhouse effect damage.

Suppose you left your car in the parking in front of direct sunlight, you comeback and saw that your car’s windshield or sunroof has got cracked due to interior’s heat. Now if you’re thinking that that insurance will cover the repairing cost, it’s not what you think!

No insurance will cover the damage caused by sun’s heat!

Even you’ll not get any warranty claim, as it’s not the manufacturer’s fault.