Arizona is a great state to live in, don’t just take our word for it; check out this article about all the ways Arizona rules. However, we all know that not every place can be the perfect place. It’s no secret that when you live in Arizona, you will have to deal with the heat. And while most natives aren’t bothered by the few months, the heat can be brutal; your car can certainly take a beating. Here are some tips and tricks about keeping your vehicle running smoothly and comfortably while in Arizona.

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Use a Sunshade

If you’re from a snowy region, you know every car comes equipped with an ice-scraper. Well, consider the sunshade the ice-scraper Arizona equivalent. Unfortunately, cars don’t come with sun shades, so best to buy one before the summer heat hits. The reasoning is obvious: sunshades help prevent your car’s interior from becoming excessively hot in the summer. Besides allowing your vehicle to cool down faster, they also protect your dashboard, seats, electronics, and other valuables from damage caused by the sun’s rays.

The good news is that sunshades are cheap, durable, and portable. Plus, fixing a sunshade to your windshield sure beats scraping off snow and ice.

Get a Car Battery Warranty

Trust me, I know warranties tend to be a scam, but in Arizona, you will go through car batteries much faster than expected. This is because high temperatures cause the battery to lose fluid more rapidly, destroying its internal structure and affecting its ability to hold a charge. High temperatures also cause the components of the charging system to malfunction, causing the battery to overcharge. On that same note, always keep jumper cables in your car just in case you get caught with a dead battery. Nothing is worse than being stranded in the heat with a dead car.

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Choose Wisely When Shopping For a New Car

It’s no surprise that Arizona’s most popular car color is white. Being smart about the different options when shopping for a car will pay off during summer. To drop a little science on you, black objects absorb all wavelengths of light and convert them into heat, so they become warm. Since white objects reflect all wavelengths of light, the light is not converted into heat, and the object’s temperature does not increase noticeably. To put it plainly: dark-colored cars will soak up more heat than light-colored cars.

Along the lines of choosing components wisely: skip the leather interior — unless you like peeling your skin off your car seat every time you stand up.

If You Can Park Under Shade, It’s Worth the Extra Steps

I think we’ve made our point here: summer = hot car. If you see a parking spot under a tree, but it’s not necessarily the closest spot, you’ll want to take it. Not only does it make your car cooler when you return, but as we mentioned earlier, the sun can also take a toll on your car battery, electronics, and sanity. If you’re extra motivated, crack your windows to allow a tiny bit of circulation.

Hopefully, this article helped illuminate a few things for you. We know parking in the shade and cracking your windows isn’t rocket science, but it never hurts to have too much info than not enough. In contrast, this may sound daunting, a silver lining that locals like to say: you never have to shovel sunshine.

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