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What Should You Do When Your Car Overheats?
By Product Expert | Posted in Service and Repair, Tips and Info on Wednesday, June 8th, 2016 at 9:37 pm
When you’ve operated in the automotive world for as long as we have at Schledorn Auto Group, you get pretty well-versed at understanding and diagnosing potential car problems. This time of year, however, Milwaukee-area drivers often see an issue that can arise seemingly out of nowhere: an overheating car. So, what should you do when your car overheats? Fret not; EVS Auto Group has you covered.
What Should You Do When Your Car Overheats?
First off, don’t panic. Never, ever panic. Then, do your part to get the problem under control.
Turn Off the A/C
The air conditioner is one of those all-too-common automotive paradoxes: while it cools the interior cabin, it works overtime under the hood to do so. So, when you notice that your temperature gauge is creeping away from safety, roll down the windows — you’ll need that breeze — and kill the air conditioner.
Turn On the Heat
If the temp gauge continues to climb, forsake your own comfort and turn the heat on. This will pull heat out of the engine compartment, and might give your radiator enough of a break to get you to a service station.
Read More from EVS Auto Group Here!
Avoid Traffic
Tight traffic can frequently be the stimulus that gets your car warmed up — frequent stopping and starting, long idling, etc. — which is why you should try to avoid it if overheating is possible. If you can’t and are forced to sit still, shift your car into neutral and give your car a little gas. This will speed up the water pump and fan, which pulls liquid and air through the radiator. Also, do your best to lay off the brakes, since this added work can cause your car to heat up as well.
If You’re About to Boil, Pull the Car Over
If the aforementioned tips don’t do the trick, then you’ve got to look out for your car. Simply pull your car over at a service station or on the side of the road, open the hood, and don’t touch anything. Once it’s cooled down considerably, you can open the radiator bay and attempt to add coolant. In any case, you should get your car to a service station as soon as possible.
Fortunately, EVS Auto Group has five terrific locations throughout the greater Milwaukee area, and we’d love to help out if we can. To schedule a service appointment at any of our five locations, click on the button below!
