Your car needs TLC in extreme heat

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - While you are trying to keep cool during this extreme heat, your vehicle often sits in the scorching sun all day. And it's taking a toll.

But there are some simple steps you can take now to make sure you don't get stuck later. Take nothing for granted in this heat.

Despite dry pavement and sunny skies, your vehicle is under stress, said Ben Stallings, co-owner of Beck Service.

"Cars just aren't designed to operate normally in 100 degree weather. What can be very efficient at 85 or 90 just struggles to keep up at 100 degrees," Stallings said.

That's especially true for your vehicle's air conditioner. Just ask Daniel Speer, a customer in the waiting room of Beck Service.

"It will blow out cool air but it won't blow out cold air, so you of course got to do what you got to do," Speer said.

Which often means bringing it in for repairs.

"But an air conditioner in 100 degree weather is not going to do what it does in 80 degree weather. Certainly not going to keep up," Stallings said.

So don't assume it’s broken.

Keeping your tires inflated correctly is crucial because the pavement can get to 120 degrees or more. And be sure and check the tire tread.

Open the hood and check the battery. If you see corrosion, clean it.

Problems you ignore now could come back to haunt you in a few months.

"You’re going to get some life sucked out of that battery due to the heat. So come fall, I would suggest, check a battery or have a garage check a battery before you get into that extreme cold of the winter," Stallings said.

And with the air temperature above 100, the inside of your car is significantly hotter. That puts any electronics you have inside in jeopardy. Stallings said he saw a report on one GPS that went off like a firecracker.

"It took out the dash board and just pretty much totaled the car, from a GPS unit that exploded from the heat," he said.

So take them inside if you can. And don't forget: The sunglasses you leave on the dash could end up leaving a burn mark on your face, so take those inside too.

Stallings said electronics in the engine can also go haywire in this hot weather. He said if dashboard readings are weird or something is acting up, try to put the car in a cooler place out of the sun, shut it off for half an hour, then start it up again. Sometimes just letting the vehicle cool down will make a big difference in how it operates.