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His Turn, Her Turn™, with Lauren Fix, is a his and her view on new car reviews. These 90-second television news feature offer quick car reviews from a male and female perspective, to help you decide what to test drive and purchase. These segments will air in 2005. You can preview them HERE!
"Summer Safety and Your Car - Is Your Car an Oven?"
By Lauren Fix, Automotive Expert "The Car Coach® and Your Life! Auto Editor
The temperature inside the vehicle without a sunshade actually becomes hot enough to bake chicken, eggs, bacon and cookies.
On a 95° F day, vehicle interiors can heat up to 181°F or more. Sunshades act as insulators keeping vehicle interiors up to 49° F cooler and blocking 99 percent of UV rays. This is like using sunscreen for your skin and will protect the 2nd most expensive purchase you make.
Is Your Car an Oven?
The air trapped inside a vehicle on a 95° F day can heat up quickly; the steering wheel can reach 159° F; the seat can reach 162° F; and the dashboard can heat up to 181° F all this within a few hours or less.
The temperature inside the vehicle without a sunshade actually becomes hot enough to bake chicken, eggs, bacon and cookies.
To illustrate this point:
steering wheel 159° F = temperature to cook medium rare beef
dashboard can heat up to 181° F = temperature to cook poultry
seats can reach 162° F = temperature to cook ground beef.
Sun or heat damage can destroy your vehicle's interior to:
- Faded upholstery
- Cracked dashboard
- Cracked leather upholstery
- Cracked steering wheel
Prove it!
If you use a sunshade, it is easier to resell your vehicle. Why?
The resale value can be drop as much as $1,000 to $2,000 with interior
sun and heat damage. Check out Edmunds.com and see how interior and
exterior condition affects the value of your car or truck.
Items Commonly Damaged Cost of Potential Damage/Approximate Cost Range
Sunshades help passengers avoid burning themselves on a vehicle's upholstery, steering wheel, seat, etc.
Sunshades prices range from $2.49 to $14.99
(you can buy these at any mass merchandiser or car parts store)
Other things you can do to protect your car:
- Steering wheel covers
- Window tint film
Chapstick/lipstick
$1.00-$18.00
Cassette Tapes
$4.00-$12.00
Video Tapes
$10.00-$99.00
Photo Film
$3.00-$8.00
Compact Discs
$10.00-$25.00
Cost of potential damage
$28.00-$162.00
Compare that to the average cost of a car sunshade … $5.99
Did you know... On a 95° F day, vehicle interiors can heat up to 181°F or more. Find out what happens to your car and the contents inside!
Most important!
NEVER LEAVE YOUR KIDS OR THE ELDERLY IN THE CAR WHILE YOU RUN AN ERRAND! EVEN IF THE WINDOW IS CRACKED OPEN!
NEVER LEAVES PETS IN THE CAR - EVER!
Animals Can Get Heat Stoke Easily!
IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG FOR A TERRIBLE SITUATION TO OCCUR!
Want to get more tips and great advice from The Car Coach? Tune in to one of her programs!
