September 23, 2025
Summer heat, little things mean a lot.
Heat kills, not just you and the family pup, but your vehicle as well.
In the summer desert heat of the Tri-Cities, your car is doing a dance with the devil. Bad car… bad!
New cars are designed to run at about 220 degrees. But 260 degrees starts to get dangerous, and above that is deadly to your engine. The transmission is about the same, just a little higher temps.
Under the hood, lot of little things have to work right to keep this balance. One or two marginal failures, and the cooking contest is on. Servicing, testing and proper repair will keep you away from trouble for a long time. Sometimes, a water pump will just decide to quit dancing altogether, but most of the time, we can see the signs beforehand for many failures. With good maintenance, there is a good chance a modern car will never have a heat related breakdown. Good car… good.
Coolant does not evaporate, so remember, if it is low it is going somewhere and that’s never a good thing. No escapee’s allowed! Much like Sherlock Holmes, it’s our job to find out where (same charm, different accent.).
The most common thing we hear is “my heater does not blow warm, but the Temp Gauge does not show the car overheating”. Problem is, when the system is low, the sensor is not made to read air. Silly driver… Sensors are for coolant, not air. No coolant, no dash reading. You can melt down the heads and not even know it. That would be very bad and very expensive day. Simply put, check it, service it, fix it and stay on the road.
Protect your ride and protect your wallet! Contact us today or stop in for a one-on-one conversation with our Master Certified Technicians.
