The summer heat can cause an expensive fix on cars that some people are not aware of.
"A bag left in my car got so hot pressed up against my seat, the dye from the plastic melted into my leather," said Cliff Morris, a senior in entrepreneurship. "I ended up with a Dick's Sporting Goods tattoo on my back seat."
There are other things that heat can damage on a vehicle such as tires, glass, batteries and a paint job.
"The first things people notice is the car battery, the heat shortens the life," said Brad Shope, manager of CT Automotives.
Not only can the car battery become damaged, but many people notice their air conditioning stops to work because it puts a load on the engine, Shope said.
"The heat can dry rot or warp tires," said John Gillman, a Sears automotive technician. "The summer heat can cause the tire pressure to expand more than during the winter."
Gillman said he advises a general rule of thumb for those concerned about their tires. For every one mile driven, it takes about three hours for the tire to cool off.
Students should subtract 3 pounds from whatever the PSI (pounds per square inch) is and that is the actual tire pressure.
Gillman said the reason the tire pressure changes in different seasons is because the heat increases tire pressure, and during the winter it decreases.
It is important to add air to tires periodically during the winter.
"The heat can also cause hoses to expand and belts to dry rot; that is why it is important to have your car frequently looked at in the summer," Gillman said.
The heat should not evaporate any fluids inside the car that anyone needs to be aware of, other than being sure the car has sufficient coolant to protect the transmission, Shope said.
Heat can also have damaging effects on the exterior of a car.
"If you leave any tape or tree sap on your car's paint, it will sit in the 100 degree heat and bake into the clear layer of your paint and mess up the car's paint job," said Hunter Bryan, owner of Auburn Auto Glass.
Bryan said if students ever start to notice a small crack in the windshield they should be sure to avoid direct sunlight and park their vehicles in the shade until it is replaced. The small crack could cause the entire windshield to shatter.
"Never put the hot air defrost on, because what it can do is it can make that chip into a large crack and that is when you have to get your entire windshield replaced," Bryan said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
