Latest news with #34C
The Sun
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Major DIY retailer offering free car air con checks as temperatures set to reach 34C
A MAJOR DIY retailer is offering motorists free car air con checks as temperatures are set to reach 34C. Halfords customers can get gas and refrigerant levels on their vehicle air conditioning units checked to make sure they're in working order. 1 It comes as temperatures are expected to reach as high as 34C in parts of the UK by Monday. Halfords lets shoppers book their free air con check on its website via You enter your postcode and vehicle registration and it tells you the nearest branch you can get it done. However, you may be charged based on where you live and the type of vehicle. The retailer hasn't said if the free appointments are available all the time, but we checked based on a North-East London location and there were slots until as far away as July 6. Halfords says if the check reveals you need to top up your car air conditioning unit's gas or refrigerant levels, you can buy the products to do this yourself in its stores. However, the RAC says this is usually a job for the specialists. You can also book in for an air con recharge service at Halfords from £65. Checkatrade says having this service done normally costs between £65 and £130, so Halfords is at the cheaper end of the scale. Halfords is not the only place you can have a free air con check carried out though - Kwik Fit also offers a free checking service. Urgent warning over easy nighttime driving mistake that could see you fined £5,000 - but the fix is free You can find out more via However, the cost of getting your air con unit recharged at Kwik Fit is £72.95 or more - more expensive than Halfords. Hot weather car mistakes that can cost you £1,000s Driving in the wrong footwear Swapping trainers for flip flops while driving during bouts of hot weather might seem practical, but it can land you with a big fine. Any shoes which could limit your ability to put pressure on the pedals breaks the Highway Code. If you are found to be ' driving without due care and attention ', you face a £100 fine and three points added to your licence. If the matter escalates to court, you could face fines of up to £5,000. Drinking water while driving If you get distracted and are not considered to be in proper control of your car while drinking water, you could face a fine. If you're involved in an accident as a result of a lapse in concentration, it could see you slapped with a £2,500 bill. The same rules apply to eating behind the wheel, so think again if you're considering diving into an ice cream while driving. Keeping your windows closed and A/C off It might be tempting to save some pennies by closing windows and keeping the AC off during hotter weather. But this can breach Highway Code rule 237, which states that a car must be kept 'well ventilated' in hot weather to reduce drowsiness. Not doing this and being caught could result in a £5,000 fine. How to save money on summer essentials SUNNIER days and warmer weather will leave many of us wanting to kit out gardens and outdoor areas. Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to get a great deal on summer essentials… It pays to know how to bag big savings on the likes of hot tubs paddling pools, egg chairs and outside bars. Many retailers have flash sales across entire ranges – often this ties into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends. Sign up to the mailing lists of your favourite brands and you'll be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too. Keep a close eye on the specialbuys at Aldi and middle of Lidl drops which drop a couple of times a week and usually mean great value seasonal items such as beach gear and paddling pools. If you are not in a hurry to buy an item, try adding it to the shopping cart and leaving it for a couple of days. Sometimes big brands will try to tempt you into the sale by offering you a discount. Always check if you can get cashback before paying. It's especially worth using sites such as Topcashback, Quidco and app Jamdoughnut when buying bigger ticket items such as garden furniture as you'll get a nice kickback.
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
The everyday item you should NEVER store in your car during a heatwave
With scorching temperatures predicted this weekend, car owners need to remove one particular everyday item if they've been keeping it in their vehicle. With temperatures soaring in recent days and set to hit 34C in parts of the country on Saturday, motorists need to ensure this one product is not in their cars. During heatwaves, the interior of a vehicle parked in the sun can quickly turn into a fierce heat. And this can cause severe damage to all manner of objects we might have dotted around the cabin, door pockets and boots of our motors. Aerosol cans, which are commonly stored in cars for a number of reasons, can become extremely hazardous when exposed to high temperatures. Some drivers might keep a gym bag with a deodorant can in the back seat for convenience, while others might common store a tin of air freshener spray, especially those who regularly transport pets and want to cover up the odour of wet dog. Here's the reason why they're an increased risk in a heatwave and the 12 other items you might want to consider removing from your motor to avoid an expensive cleaning bill. Aerosol cans dispense fine mists or sprays using a product mixed with a propellant, which is typically a liquefied gas under pressure. When the nozzle is pressed, this pressure allows the product to be expelled. This can itself is typically made from one of two metals - aluminum or still - in order to withstand this internal pressure. But it is this pressure that makes aerosols particularly dangerous when exposed to heat. Most aerosol cans are pressurised to between two and eight times the atmospheric pressure (29-116 psi). However, this can increase dramatically in rising temperatures when additional heat expands the gas inside. When a car is left in the sun, outside climates like those recorded this weekend can easily see the temperature inside a car exceed 50C - typically the safety threshold for aerosol cans. This level of heat increases the pressure inside the can beyond the safe limit, which could potentially trigger a rupture or explosion. RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, recommends drivers should never keep aerosols inside their cars. This is even the case in winter temperatures, which can also rise quickly and cause a sudden increase in pressure. 'You should keep them in the boot,' RoSPA says. If an aerosol can ruptures or explodes, there is also a secondary risk of physical damage posed by the contents. Chemicals inside can be volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and once released can be harmful if inhaled or come into contact with skin in a confined space, such as a car with all the doors and windows closed. VOCs are known to cause respiratory issues, skin irritation, and other health problems. Drivers have been urged by fire services to be mindful of the different aerosol cans that could be stored in their car that they might not realise could be harmful. On top of deodorants and air fresheners, some car owners might also keep hairspray, cleaning products, glass cleaner and other automotive-related products - like tyre inflators cannisters, lubricants like WD40 and deicers - in the cabin rather than the boot. Other items to remove from your car in a heatwave Car insurance comparison site uSwitch said there are various items you could be keeping in your car that should be removed during a heatwave: Diffusers: Most car diffusers are made of plastic. Prolonged heat can cause the plastic to warp, potentially damaging the diffuser and causing the oils to leak onto the interior of your car, resulting in stains. In extreme cases, some essential oils, particularly those with high flammability (like citrus oils), could pose a fire risk if they become too concentrated due to heat evaporation. Fizzy canned drinks: Because of the increased pressure brought on by the warmer temperatures, carbonated cans left in a hot car can often burst. This could result in an expensive mess, as leakage could stain the upholstery. Bottled drinks: It might seem logical to have a bottle of water in the car ready for a heatwave, however, there are widespread health concerns over the use of Bisphenol A and phthalates (BPA) in plastics, which act as binding agents to make the material more flexible. Leaving plastic-bottled water in a hot car may cause these agents to be released into the water. Cleaning gels: Although they're a popular TikTok cleaning hack, most cleaning gels have a melting point. Leaving the gel in a hot car can cause the ambient temperature to exceed this melting point, turning the gel runny and sticky and making it likely to stain the interior of your car. Hand sanitiser: These often contain alcohol which is flammable and could become a fire hazard. Sun cream: Ironically, leaving sun cream in your car can be a bad idea when temperatures soar. The active ingredients can break down and cause the bottle to crack or perish, leaking a mess onto the upholstery that's notoriously difficult to remove. Chewing gum: If exposed to warm temperatures, chewing gum can lose its elasticity and viscosity, causing it to go soft or melt. If left on a seat, it could become stuck, resulting in damage to the interior of your car. Pens: An overheating pen can burst and leave ink in the vehicle. Clean-up can be expensive and stains challenging to remove. Sweets and chocolate: Car snacks are common on summer road trips, however, they are prone to melting if left in warm temperatures over a long period. Again, this can result in stains to a vehicle's interior. Vapes: Although also posing a risk to the battery overheating, if a vape is left in a car in hot weather, you also run the risk of returning to a pretty big mess. The increased temperature will cause the liquid to thin, which can leak from the tank into your car. Disposable lighters: With the lighter exposed to hot temperatures, the fluid and gases inside the lighter expanded, causing internal pressure to rise. This can result in potential fires that can damage the car or even harm those inside it. Mobile phone and tablets: During warm spells the temperature in your car can rise to almost twice what it is outside. Your phone has a safe internal temperature it needs to maintain, but if it's left in a hot environment for an extended period of time, it could end up shorting out, catching fire, or even exploding.
