The Phoenix summer survival checklist for your car

Most people think cold weather is the enemy of cars. In Phoenix, it is the opposite. Sustained heat cooks batteries, thins fluids, cracks rubber and pushes cooling systems to their limit. From June to September, roughly a third of the cars on our lifts come in for heat-related failures.

The good news is that almost all of them give warning signs first. A thirty-minute check in May can save you a tow in July.

What we check before summer

• Battery health with a load test, not just voltage. Desert batteries often last only two to three years.
• AC vent temperature and system pressures. Under 45°F at idle is healthy.
• Coolant level, condition and a pressure test of the radiator and hoses.
• Drive belts and hoses for cracks, glazing and soft spots.
• Tyre pressure and sidewall condition. Heat accelerates dry rot on older tyres.
• Engine oil level and condition. Heavy heat breaks down conventional oil faster.

Batteries: the silent summer killer

Here is something that surprises customers: batteries rarely die in summer, they are damaged in summer and die in the first cool morning of November. Heat speeds up the chemical reactions inside, which evaporates electrolyte and corrodes the plates. If yours is over three years old, test it now.

When replacing, choose a heat-rated AGM battery if your car supports it, and make sure the hold-down clamp is tight. Vibration plus heat is what kills them fastest.

In the desert, a car does not give up all at once. It gives you three small warnings, then it quits on the I-10 at rush hour.

Habits that help

Park facing north or under cover when you can, and use a reflective sunshade. Your dashboard, steering wheel and infotainment screen will thank you. Keep a gallon of water and a phone charger in the car at all times, both for you and, in an emergency, the radiator.

Watch your temperature gauge on long climbs and in stop-start traffic. If it creeps past the middle, turn the AC off and the heater on full to pull heat away from the engine, then get somewhere safe to stop. Never open a hot radiator cap.

Our Desert Ready Service bundles all of these checks with an oil change for $219. Book it once a year in spring and you will spend the summer thinking about anything but your car.