As summer in the Sonoran desert approaches, keep these summer driving and safety tips in mind:
- Remember to keep your AC on fresh mode most of the time to keep your air conditioning condenser fresh and, generally, free of mildew smell.
- Most of us notice a mileage drop when the summer heat turns up. We have a tendency to forget that we are working our engine much harder and using that AC every time we enter our cars. Our gas mileage does drop in the summer and it seems that we are still using winter oxygenated fuel. Some pinging under even a light load may be heard.
- You don’t want to get stalled in this heat if you can help it. It is miserable to be caught by a dead battery. Have that battery checked, ensure the battery has a full charge, and make sure your terminal connections are clean/without corrosion and making good connections. Batteries have a real tough time in the heat, dying like light bulbs.
- Be sure to ground yourself to the body of the car by putting your hand on the body of vehicle, prior to pumping of fuel. This helps avoid static electricity, which can spark and ignite fuel fires. Similarly, don’t get in the car and then get back out while fueling—that is another source of static electricity.
