Improving Your Car Cooling Parts and Heating

Nobody likes going out to their car in the morning to find that they have to scrape the ice off their windscreen, and at the same time some cars can be unbearable to be in when the weather is particularly warm. While there is nothing that you can do about the weather conditions, there are a few things that you can do with your car cooling parts and heating to ensure that you have a comfortable journey.

You might think “that’s easy, I’ll just open the window” or “I’ll just turn up the heater”, but there are other parts of the vehicle that get particularly hot and if they go beyond a certain temperature it can have a significant knock-on effect for your whole car.

On your dashboard you will have an engine temperature gauge, and if this goes beyond the centre line it is highly likely that you might be on the verge of a serious – and potentially expensive – problem.

To avoid issues such as engine overheating, and to help you to regulate the temperature inside your vehicle (as sometimes opening the window simply isn’t enough), here are some top tips and suggestions for car cooling parts and heating, suitable for all makes and models:

Radiators

Like the radiator inside your home, this controls the temperature of your car. It is usually situated at the front of your car and covered by a grille that helps to let the fresh air into  and out of your system.

One great addition to your radiator that you can make, especially in the winter, is to add some antifreeze to lower the point at which the water will freeze on those cold mornings. This will help the engine to start much more easily for optimum performance.

Car radiators are also used to cool the various fluids and lubricants that keep the car running, including the oil, transmission and steering fluids. Some need to be warm in order to move freely around the parts – such as engine oil – while others need to be kept cool.

You can read more about car radiators in our beginner’s guide to car radiators.

Intercoolers

If you have a turbocharged engine you may find that your car has to take in a lot more air in order to regulate the temperature of the engine. The extra power exerted means that the moving parts and the fluids need to be cooled to a much lower temperature than with a standard engine, and an intercooler helps to cool the air before it even reaches the engine.

It is important to add that if you upgrade any standard parts to performance parts, you may also have to do further work to keep them cool or you may suffer with over-heating issues.

Heater Controls

There are also a number of heater controls that will enable you to have more control over the temperature inside your vehicle. Some cars will come with standard hot and cold controls where you can turn the temperature up and down, along with the fan, but you can also buy heater controls that allow you to set it to a specific temperature inside the vehicle.

It is also possible, in some cases, for the driver and passenger to set the temperature on their individual sides of the vehicle; ideal for those who feel the cold more than others without making it uncomfortable for all inside the car.

Heated Seats

Heated seats can make a real difference to how comfortable the driver and front passenger are on your journeys. Heated seats work best with leather seats and the temperature is adjustable so that you can warm yourself up after spending a long time outdoors – perhaps on a hike or watching your children play football.

It is always best to switch them off when they are not needed as they can use a significant amount of power which will, in turn, affect performance slightly.

Coolants

One of the most important fluids for any vehicle is coolant. It helps to maintain a constant, and importantly, comfortable temperature for the various working parts in your vehicle. Your engine coolant level is easy to check by reading the markings located on the reservoir, but it’s important not to overlook your brake and clutch coolant as both systems can get very hot.

It is very easy to forget about your coolant levels, especially if you’re not entirely sure what fluids and lubricants you should be putting into your car. Obviously, the likes of fuel, water and oil are the most crucial and they are unsurprisingly the ones that people tend to remember first and foremost; but the likes of coolant and antifreeze – while not vital to the actual starting of the engine necessarily – will help to keep the system healthy once you’re up and running