In general, the most common causes of a car breakdown in summer include:
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Vehicle overheating
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Dead battery issues
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Fluids leaks
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Low engine oil level
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Bad tires
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Malfunctioning brakes
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Worn-out belts
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Summer car breakdowns are one of the most stressful situations that can throw a wrench in your beautiful summer. These breakdowns might be very embarrassing and inconvenient, and it might cost you a lot of money to get help.
Every driver needs to be proactive about car breakdowns in summer. This is done by understanding the most common breakdowns along with their potential causes. Once you are well prepared for these breakdowns, you won't go through a lot of stress and headache when dealing with these issues, and you will eliminate them as much as possible.
This article highlights the most common causes of car breakdowns in summer. It helps you understand what to do to eliminate these breakdowns as much as possible and some advice about handling them without stress.
What are the most common causes of a car breakdown in summer?
Although most people think of winter as the most challenging season for driving, summer can be a big deal if we're not prepared for car breakdowns. Summer typically involves very high temperatures, which impact certain components in your vehicle in many ways. Let's take a closer look at some of the most common causes of car breakdowns in summer:
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Vehicle overheating
Unsurprisingly, vehicle overheating is one of the most common breakdowns that your vehicle might experience when it's very hot. Typically, the vehicle relies on certain components that draw air from the outside and cool down the engine.
When the air is extremely hot outside, it takes your vehicle a lot of stress to bring the engine's temperature down. Thus, dealing with engine overheating is not surprising, which leads to complete engine damage if your vehicle is not prepared.
How to prevent vehicle overheating breakdowns in summer?
To prepare for vehicle overheating, you must perform a detailed inspection of the components responsible for cooling your engine down. For example, it might be a good idea to check the status of your engine oil, which is responsible for lubricating the engine and reducing its temperature.
Also, take a close look at the cooling system and ensure that the coolant level is at the optimum points to ensure the proper engine cooling process.
Also, even if your vehicle is not going to be overheated, the internal environment will be extremely hot, which might impact your health and comfort. So first, it's important to consider checking the AC system and make sure that it doesn't have any problem.
How to handle vehicle overheating breakdown in summer?
When your vehicle overheats, no matter what you've done to be prepared, you must handle the situation wisely. Keep in mind that engine overheating is a big deal, and it can cause catastrophic outcomes.
Therefore, the first thing to do is not to panic. Once you're calm, you can make wise decisions. Then, do not underestimate the issue and stop driving your vehicle immediately by pulling four to a safe spot and turning off the engine. Next, consult your mechanic and check with him if it's fine to drive the vehicle to the nearest repair shop. Your mechanic will give you advice about the best option for you when it comes to engine overheating.
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Dead battery issues
Although most of us think that dead battery issues only happen in winter, they are very common in summer. This is because the battery relies on a combination of internal chemical reactions to generate the power. When the temperature is very high outside, the internal liquids inside the battery might evaporate, resulting in added battery or other problems like corrosion.
How to prevent dead battery car breakdowns in summer?
To be prepared for such situations, you must have the battery inspected frequently. Take it as a rule and inspect the battery before summer starts. If your battery is older than five years, consider replacing it because it's close to the end of its lifetime. Otherwise, you will need to check the battery more than usual.
How to handle dead battery car breakdowns in summer?
When your vehicle's battery dies, it can be very challenging, especially if you are going on a road trip with very little help nearby. You must maintain a cool area and try to take advantage of the cold weather inside your vehicle until you get help.
If your insurance company provides you with road assistance options, you want to reach out to them as soon as possible. However, if you think that service will take a long time to come, you might want to consult something closer, so they can come and help you before temperature increases significantly and impacts your comfort, if not health.
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Fluids leaks
When the summer temperature increases, the vehicle's internal pathways expand, and it's very common for smaller cracks to get bigger as temperature increases. When that happens, fluids can escape easily, resulting in low fluids levels in your vehicle.
How to prevent fluid levels car breakdowns in summer?
Your vehicle needs to run at a certain fluid level, whether these fluids are in the cooling system or the brake system; any reduction in these fluids results in significant problems. Therefore, you must perform an authority inspection of these pathways and confirm there are no fluids reductions. You can confirm by monitoring the fluids levels regularly or monitoring any symptoms indicating your vehicle's low fluid levels.
How to handle fluid levels car breakdowns in summer?
It all depends on how low your fluid level in the vehicle is. For example, if your vehicle has a significantly low coolant level, it can immediately result in engine overheating that damages the entire engine.
Similarly, if there is a reduction in the brake system fluid, this can lead to a very dangerous situation that might prevent you from stopping your vehicle when needed, which can be very complicated if you're driving on the highway speed.
Therefore, when you notice that the fluid level is dropping, you must consult your mechanic and see if it's possible to continue driving the vehicle or your car got to a point where it's beyond driving. You should then tow your vehicle to the nearest repair shop.
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Low engine oil level
Low engine oil is one of the very common fluids in your vehicle; we decided to discuss it in a separate category because of its importance. As we indicated before, the engine's oil is one of the different functions your vehicle relies on to drop the engine temperature.
When the engine oil level drops in summer, there is a very high chance for engine overheating, which is much higher than what could happen in other seasons. Therefore, it's critical to monitor the oil level in your vehicle and never get to a situation where it drops below the optimum threshold.
With a low engine oil level, you'll see a significant reduction in newer vehicles' overall performance, and this can be very challenging if you're on a road trip or in an area where there is no help nearby.
How to prevent low engine oil car breakdowns in summer?
The best thing to prevent the engine oil from driving is to inspect your vehicle firmly before the summer season. Have your mechanic check everything that has to do with the engine oil level. Ensure that you're not past due for the nearest oil change, and if it's very soon, considers doing it earlier to prevent any stress.
Also, it's important to keep monitoring the oil level regularly and more often than you used to do. For example, if you check the oil level once every month, consider looking at it once every week, especially if you notice a reduction in the vehicle’s performance.
How to handle low engine oil car breakdowns in summer?
When the engine oil level drops to a point where it's causing breakdowns, there is no way you can drive your vehicle for a single inch. You must pull over and stop the vehicle as soon as possible. Try opening the hood allowing the vehicle to cool down as much as possible, and consult your roadside assistance to help you check whether the oil drop is due to a severe leak or it's just your engine is consuming too much oil.
Depending on the severity of the oil reduction, you might or might not be able to drive the vehicle at all until you address the issue.
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Bad tires
The tires are also one of the very sensitive components in your vehicle to high summer temperatures. Typically, your tires are expected to expand much more, which means that the tire pressure might exceed the optimum level.
Also, if there are any cracks or minor issues in your tires, they might expand and get more complicated as the temperature increases.
How to prevent bad tires car breakdowns in summer?
The best way to prevent these breakdowns is to check the tires and replace them if necessary. For example, if you notice minor breakages or uneven wear-outs in the tires, it might be the right time to change the tires. You don't necessarily have to purchase new ones; you might find decent used tires for a good deal.
Also, it's important to check your vehicle's owner’s manual for the optimum pressure level in your tires. For example, your tire pressure might need to be dropped slightly as summer starts to allow some room for expansion.
Consider consulting your mechanic and confirming how much exactly to drop from the tire's level before attempting it.
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Malfunctioning brakes
Your vehicle's brakes might overheat significantly during summer as the temperature increases. As you already know, the brakes have to do with your safety, and therefore, the braking system entirely is one of being very critical systems that you need to monitor closely.
How to prevent malfunctioning brakes in summer?
, it is important that you have your mechanic inspect the brake fluid, the brake pads, and any other component that might cause some risks as temperature increases. For example, if the brake pads are worn out, it is the right time now to replace them with better ones to prevent getting involved in major car accidents.
How to handle malfunctioning brakes in summer?
If your vehicle has issues because of overheated brakes, the best option would be to pull over and stop your vehicle as much as you can. Then, try to reduce the stress on the brakes by allowing the vehicle to cool down for a little bit. But, of course, if the problem continues, it might indicate an internal issue or a faulty internal component that needs to be replaced. Thus, do not ignore the problem and have your mechanic resolve it to prevent risky situations.
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Worn-out belts
Finally, your vehicle contains many belts that work together to supply the internal components with power. As summer temperature increases, these belts are expected to expand, impacting the way they work. Thus, you might deal with malfunctioning or broken AC units and water pumps.
How to prevent belt car breakdowns in summer?
Obviously, you are recommended to check the belts and confirm no signs of damage is or cracks. If you noticed any, you must replace the faulty or damaged component to prevent undesirable situations in the near future.
How to handle belt car breakdowns in summer?
If your vehicle had an issue with the water pump or the AC unit not working because of a belt problem, you must consult your mechanic and replace the belt if necessary. Sometimes, the belt might be loose, which means that your mechanic can adjust it and tighten it in a way to make it work properly under pressure and wind temperature increases.
Conclusion
Summer breakdowns are not convenient and challenge at high repair costs. Being prepared for a summer breakdown is a wise decision to prevent stress and other unnecessary situations.
In general, more the most common causes for summer breakdowns are vehicle overheating, dead battery issues, fluid leaks, low engine oil levels, bad tires, malfunctioning brakes, and worn-out belts.
This article highlighted some details about these breakdowns and how to be prepared for them, and how to handle them when they happen. Unfortunately, if your vehicle has major mechanical problems, these breakdowns can be very complicated, and handling them can be extremely challenging.
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