Your garage’s main purpose is for parking, but a lot of homeowners don’t (or can’t) use it for that function. Giving a tip to use a home garage as a way to keep your parked car cool may make you think “Thanks, Captain Obvious”.īut are you always able to park in your garage? And have you noticed how many of your friends and neighbors park full-time in their driveways? doesn’t mean you’ll still be parked in shade at 3 p.m. Just because you’re parking in shade at 11 a.m.
Keep in mind that parking in a more secluded area of a parking lot may not be advisable if the neighborhood isn’t the safest, especially if you’re returning to your vehicle after dark.Īlso take into account where you’re parking, the time of day, and when you’ll be returning to your car. If that’s not an option, parking beneath some trees on the edge of a parking lot or in the shade of a building can keep your car cooler and be worth the extra walking that’s required. Ideally, you’d want to find a parking garage. On a day when it’s unbearably hot and there’s nary a cloud in the sky, finding relief from the heat with some shade when parking will make your car much more comfortable to return to. It’s not difficult to follow a few simple tips to keep your parked car cool (or at least cooler), even when it’s intensely hot outside.
Their graphic below illustrates how quickly a vehicle’s interior can heat up. is an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of leaving kids and pets in hot vehicles. Pets being left in hot vehicles is another issue we hear about all too often. It’s an unfortunately reality that negligent parents occasionally leave their kids alone in a hot car, with sometimes fatal results.
Hot cars aren’t merely uncomfortable, they’re also unsafe. The objects in a car’s interior such as seats, carpeting, and the dashboard also absorb some of that heat.Ī Stanford University study found that on a sunny day with temperatures ranging from 72☏ to 96☏ (22☌ to 35☌), the temperature was an average of 40☏ higher (8☌) inside the cars they tested than it was outdoors. The temperature increase is highest in the first 15-30 minutes after a car is left parked in the sun.
How to make my summer car skins windows#
The sun’s heat enters a vehicle through the windows and gets trapped inside, increasing the temperature. The greenhouse effect is also why a car or truck feels like an oven on a hot day. You’ve probably heard of the the greenhouse effect in relation to how the Earth’s atmosphere traps heat, which enables our planet to sustain life. You can blame it on “the greenhouse effect”. So why does the interior of a vehicle that’s parked in the sun feel so much warmer than it feels outdoors on a hot, sunny day? Keep reading to find out why a vehicle’s cabin gets so hot and what you can do to keep your parked car cool this summer.īlame your hot car on “the greenhouse effect” Who wants to be greeted by a sweltering car interior that’s filled with a bunch of mini hazards? We’re talking about things like scalding seatbelt buckles, sizzling leather seats, and a dashboard, steering wheel, and gear shift that are uncomfortably hot to touch. When it’s a scorcher outside, entering a vehicle that’s been parked directly in the sun for hours is never a pleasant experience.
Under the right circumstances (or wrong circumstances, as the case may be), even the highest-end cars aren’t immune to the misery of a stiflingly hot interior.