With temperatures expected to rise further in the coming days, motorists have been urged to inspect five key features of their car to ensure they’re safe on the road. One expert, Ashley Jones of Parkland Motors, said: “Warm weather like this is a luxury, but it can be easy to forget that it’s not only our skin we should be protecting from the scorching heat.
“As temperatures rocket, car owners need to take extra precautions and do regular checks to not only protect their cars, but also to avoid being fined if their vehicles are deemed to be in a dangerous condition.
“There are a few easy tricks that every car owner should be mindful of, and with the week ahead, it can take as little as ten minutes to do a few maintenance checks before setting off on your journey, especially if you are planning on a summer car journey to make the most of the heat.”
The summer of 2020 saw 16,383 breakdowns in July alone, with July 31 experiencing 1,080 breakdowns on that day alone, which was when temperatures reached up to 37.8C, making it the UK’s third hottest day on record.
A trend that was seen in 2019, in which July 25 had the largest amount of breakdowns for the year.
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Clutch
Drivers should keep an eye out for how their clutch feels during the heatwave, with excessive heat being the predominant cause of clutch failure.
For a clutch which is already stressed, extra heat can cause the cable to break which will result in an inoperable clutch pedal.
Motorists are being warned of what to look out for as a new clutch costs an average of £475.
Alternator
While dim or flickering lights should be fixed as early as possible, in hot weather the alternator can experience faults.
This can be seen through any features of the car which use electricity.
The average cost to fix a car alternator is £275, making it a common sign for car users to watch out for.
