It's never a good time to be a broken down motorist on the side of the road. In this heat, it's practically unbearable. Rising temperatures could be causing some problems for your car.
Stephania Jimenez talked to the experts about ways to keep your vehicle running throughout the summer.
Business is booming at Reno's Auto Body Shop.
Dennis Serra manages the shop. He says the extreme temperatures are causing cars to overheat.
"The Kia spectra in the back of me came in for exactly that when the radiator that broke and also a stuck thermostat," says Serra.
So, how can you help your car beat the heat and keep from breaking down?
AAA says that regular maintenance checks are key because the heat can affect your battery life and tires.
"When you have an underinflated tire, the sidewalls flex more, that generates more heat. Now you add a 95-100 degree day, the hot asphault and that could be enough to cause the tire to fail," says Jim MacPherson, an auto expert.
Serra says folks should also monitor coolant.
"Make sure their coolant is up to level and that they're watching what they're doing with their temperature gauges," says Serra.
Macpherson says older vehicles are vulnerable in really high temperatures.
"There may have been enough reserve cooling capacity for example to get them through an 80 degree day but it won't work on a 95 degree day, especially if you're trying to run the air conditioning," says MacPherson.
Bottom line - prevention is key to protecting your car and your bank account.
"We've seen people come in with overheating problems which led to a bad head gasket, which is a major operation which could ruin an engine or it could run in the thousands of dollars," says Serra.
(Information Courtesy NBC News)
