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| Saturday, April 8, 2000 |
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THERE are some more points to keep in mind now that summer is almost here. Other than keeping the car in a road -worthy condition, the occupants should be made comfortable. Summer travel in a car can be quite uncomfortable, especially if the car has no AC. The car is a huge steel box, steel absorbs and retains heat. The temperature inside a parked car is unbearable. It may be necessary to open doors and windows to allow some cross-ventilation to cool the interior. More and more cars these days are designed to be driven with the windows closed. They have AC for the summer and heating for the winter. There are demisters for the front windows, heated rear windows, fresh air vents. You can control the temperature inside the cabin to near perfection. Life can be very easy. |
| However, if you have a non-AC car and are
in for a 3-4 hour drive, life can get uncomfortable. It
is not a bad idea to carry a couple of bottles of water
and a couple of hand towels. A long drive on a hot summer
day with the breeze and wind blowing through the car
feels good. Actually it drives the perspiration off your
body, and you gradually lose body fluids and feel
dehydrated. This fluid, like the fuel in your car, needs
to be replenished. Children are more prone to dehydration
and need special attention and care. If you stop to
refuel, make sure the children have something to drink.
Nobody ever refuses a cool drink in a hot day. A
sugar-based drink will be good. Along with the liquid
there will be some intake of glucose. Carry something
useful like glucose biscuits. Potato chips and the like
don’t help. Plus they make a mess of the car
interior! The bottles of water, hand towels and biscuits can all be put in a small cardboard crate and be a permanent fixture in your car. It won’t be a bad idea if you carry a basic first aid kit. If you have children, you must have figured out what it takes to cope with cuts, bruises and scrapes. Keep these things in the cardboard box, cardboard won’t hurt the paint work and Rexine and it doesn’t rattle. Another factor that is essential to a comfortable ride is correct tyre pressure. Remember to check the tyre pressure first thing in the morning when the tyres are cool. Tyres have a habit of inflating themselves — the air in the tube expands, increasing the tyre pressure. Your car rides on a cushion of air. Cushion being the operative word. Over inflation will make the car bounce, rattling the occupants. Under inflation will make the car sluggish. Tyre pressure should be just right, and it’s the easiest bit of running maintenance that the car needs. Pay attention to this detail. The battery will also have a tendency to lose water. It gets incredibly hot under the bonnet and that makes the electrolyte evaporate, eventually killing the battery. A battery check is a simple and essential procedure. Chances are there is a batterywala close to your tyrewala. A two -in-one operation. Do it now! Happy motoring! |
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