Where Customer Service is NOT a department...it's an Attitude!

The Heat is on....
A familiar tune, but perhaps an unfamiliar tale. Summertime can be hard on your
car as well as your own physical well being. We have all heard the horror stories of children or
pets being left in a vehicle on a hot summer day, but ever wonder what the temperatures can
really get to inside a vehicle?
Let's fry some eggs in the parking lot this summer.
I recently checked the temperatures on the outside and inside of two vehicles the other day.
One car was white and one was black. The day: 95° degrees, and the surface temperature of the lot
was 135° F. The White car was 109° F on the outside and 160° F inside. The Black car was a sizzling
150° F on the outside and here is the oven...180° F inside, with the steering wheel being 150° F!
(Hmmm... the Arab nations might be on to something in their fashions)
Be careful getting into your car this summer, you may be jumping into the frying pan
A few things to do to keep your cool.
If you already have a light colored car, you are a step ahead, but don't rush out to
the paint store and roll on a coat of white paint if you car is black. There is help! Dashboard covers
can be a real benefit, and come in colors to match your interior. They can also keep that expensive
dash from cracking. Reflective sunshades can lower the temperature inside 20° to 30° degrees, and
while you're at it, crack a window or two (not literally), but only if you feel comfortable doing so.
It can be an invitation for a thief to really make it a "hot" car his own way!
(Original release: October 1998)
Keep your eyes on the road!
2000 Petersen Automotive
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