Tips To Protect Your Car From Sun Damage

Mother nature has certainly turned up the thermostat across the country this summer. Australia’s scorching sunshine can wreak havoc and unfortunately, our cars are not immune to its harmful effects. As we do our best to aircon-hop around the city, we should also take some precautions to protect our vehicles from sun damage.Here are seven (relatively) simple ways to minimise car sun damage this season.

Keep up your fluids

When it’s an atmospheric oven outside the fluids in your vehicle can disappear much faster than usual. On top of your scheduled services you should regularly check your coolant, transmission fluid, oil and water levels. If you’re running low on fluid in high temps you can risk serious mechanical damage to your car. Or worse! You could find yourself stranded out on the hot bitchumen due to a breakdown.

Wash and dry your car often, inside and out

easily become caked onto surfaces and cause your exterior paint to suffer. Drying your car is as important as the wash to ensure grime and minerals don’t attach themselves to residual moisture after a clean.

Your interior will also love a regular wipe down. On a hot day outside the inner temperature of your vehicle can easily reach close 90°C or more! You can only imagine the effect that can have on your dash if it is dusty or grimy.

Protect your car paintwork from sun damage

Summer is a great time to apply a good quality protective wax to the surface of your vehicle. A good waxing helps to lock in the natural oils in your vehicle paintwork and adds a layer of protection. It can help deflect debris, grime and dust as well as acting as a barrier against the sun’s rays. As a bonus a wax job looks great too.

Park in the shade whenever possible

Leaving your car parked in the blazing hot sun can not only damage your paintwork and create and interior furnace for you to reluctantly return to, extreme temperatures can also harm your windscreen. We have seen many cases of drivers returning to their vehicle to find a significant crack has formed or a small existing chip or crack has severely worsened. If you do have minor windscreen damage, you should arrange a windscreen repair inspection immediately to reduce the likelihood of a more costly windscreen replacement. Most minor damage can be repaired to restore windscreen integrity and vehicle safety at the fraction of the cost of replacement. When you’re facing a long hot summer, it’s important to ensure your windscreen is in top condition.

If you’re forced to park your car outside at home, it’s worth investing in good quality car cover to minimise the effects of the sun, protect your car from bat and bird droppings and debris, and add a little more protection during hail or thunderstorms.

Consider tinting your windscreen and windows

The rays of our enormous flaming star can work their way into your car flooring, dash, seat covers and anywhere else exposed to the light. The result of which can mean fading, premature aging and damage beyond economic repair. Our car window tinting service can block almost 100% of these harmful UVA and UVB rays to protect your interior and yourself. It reflects heat in the warmer months and traps in warmth when it’s frosty so you can save on both heating and cooling costs.

Check your air filters regularly

Summer brings with it an increase of dust and debris in the air. It’s important to keep your air filters clean and clear to avoid clogging. Compromised air filters can affect your petrol efficiency, mileage and even damage your air flow sensors which regulate fuel and air levels within the engine.

Speaking of air, while you’re checking your filters you should also perform regular tyre pressure checks. Underinflated tires are at increased risk of blowing in high temps, and changing a tyre in our blazing sun is no-one’s idea of fun.

Invest in reflectorised sun panels

It only takes a few seconds to pop up a folded reflector panel. It’s a cost effective option that pays off in more ways than one. Reflector panels do a great service in keeping the inside of your car significantly cooler. With a less sweltering interior you’ll use less air conditioning to cool your car, and they can also prevent damage, premature aging and bleaching of your internal features. At Novus we love reflectors so much we have our own range of Novus reflectorised sun panels.

Stay cool, and stay safe this summer

There are a lot of things that could go wrong whenever we get behind the wheel; but the Aussie sun is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to vehicle damage. If you keep the golden rays in mind and take measures to prevent unnecessary harm, you can preserve the health and value of one of your biggest assets.

Novus Auto Glass specialise in windscreen repair technology and strive to provide you with the best possible care for your car. Products and services include windscreen repair and replacement as well as restoration, polishing and windscreen glass cleaning, tinting and protection products. Call us to see how we can help you on 13 22 34.