Jeffrey Boone has a pet peeve about pet owners.
Boone of the Towson Office of AAA Mid-Atlantic, headquartered in Wilmington, Del., said that despite all of the public warnings, he continually sees dogs and even children left in cars during the summer heat. Sometimes the windows are cracked. Other times they?re not.
“The same people who would never do that to a baby will do it to a dog,” Boone said. “I call the police and wait for the owners.”
Boone isn?t being punitive. He knows that a car?s interior temperature can quickly soar to 200 degrees, killing whatever living objects are inside. Typically, animals will be quiet as heat overcomes them, so oftentimes passersby aren?t aware of them. The darker the car?s interior, the worse it can get. When owners tell him they were gone only “a few minutes” he often reminds them of how deadly the heat can be.
Heat Tips
While heat won?t affect the mechanical components of a car, it can destroy the interior. Consider these tips from Boone and his AAA colleagues Ed Kriston and Troy Green to protect your car.
» Roll the windows down when parked in a secure area. Seem too obvious? Most people don?t do that, and wrinkled and cracked dashboards are often the long-term result.
» Buy a windshield fan. Sold in auto supply shops, the solar-powered fans hook onto the ledge of the window track and sucks hot air out of the car.
» Put a sunshield in the windshield of a parked car. They cost only a few dollars and dramatically reduce the interior temperature.
» Use mink oil on a car?s leather interior. Otherwise, the summer heat will sap the moisture from the leather, causing it to crack and fade.
» Rubber seals around the windows are very vulnerable to heat. Use a protectant to keep them moist and avoid cracking, which allows water and air to seep in.
» Use caution when applying protectant to the dashboard. Some protectants make the surface so shiny that it can cause sun glare when driving.
For more information about car maintenance, go to aaa.com
