Latest news with #carcooling
The Sun
09-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
Make your car's air con blow even colder with Aldi's £1.35 kitchen staple – as temps to hit 31C this week
DRIVERS are being urged to use a cheap hack to cool down their cars as scorching temperatures of 31C are set to arrive later this week. Motors with little or no air conditioning can benefit the most from the £1.35 Aldi kitchen essential. Motorists face an uncomfortable few days as Britain is set to bake in the third heatwave so far this summer. But a tea towel from supermarket giants Aldi - costing less than a cup of coffee - could be the answer to their problems. It is cheap to buy and takes a matter of minutes to prepare. For those who are struggling to cope with the stifling temperatures, start by wetting the tea towel until it is damp and sodden. The wet rag should then stored in the freezer for a decent amount of time - perhaps overnight - until it is frozen solid. As soon as you're looking to head out in your car, grab the frozen tea towel and place it in front of your car's air vent. This will prevent the warm, stale air that has been sitting in the vehicle from being blown around the car. Drivers can then benefit from a cool stream of air from the cloth instead, which will be a game changer during these hot summer days. Andrew Smart, who tested the hack out, explained how he felt the cold air on his face "almost instantly". Writing for The Herald, he said: "After setting off, I noticed the cold air blowing on my face almost instantly, and the car began to cool down over the next five minutes. "However, a massive drawback was that the cold rag would dry up in no time, meaning it would lose its effectiveness very quickly. "But, by the time this happened, the car was already much cooler, and the air being blown at me from the vents was much more refreshing." Dr explains why cold showers or baths are a bad idea to cool you down While the tea towel may dry up after a period of being blown by the fan, it is a great method of immediately cooling down a car. It could come in incredibly handy over the coming days, as temperatures of up to 31C have been predicted. The weather turnaround comes after a miserable weekend of heavy rain and thunderstorms. Marco Petagna, senior meteorologist at the Met Office, said that Brits are set to bask in increasingly hot temperatures as we head into next week. He said: 'I think Wednesday is probably going to be the day when we could start to reach the thresholds of 25 to 28 degrees, depending on where you are. 'But temperatures are going to continue to climb as we go toward the end of the week and certainly by Friday and Saturday we could see 30 degrees, perhaps just nudging into the low 30s. 'At the weekend, we could just start to see humidity increasing a little bit as well and nighttime temperatures look like they are going to be, so it will be starting to become more uncomfortable by night.' Experts have also pointed to a £30 Amazon product that can help transform your vehicle's air conditioning system. Amazon's Clima Set comes with two air condition recharge gas cylinders and is compatible with all cars that use R-134a refrigerant. The product details describes the set as "nature conscious and vehicle safe". Enthusiastic motorist, Scott Kilmar said: "This car hack will save you thousands in AC repairs." In his step by step guide on how to use the product, he explained that "it is not that hard to do." It comes as Yorkshire Water slapped a hosepipe ban on five million people, meaning washing motors with a hose will be off-limits from Friday. Drivers in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire will have to find other ways to wash their car or risk being slapped with fines of up to £3,000 for breaking the rules. 2
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Millions of Brit drivers urged to place kitchen cupboard staple in car window to help keep cool in the heat
BRITS are being urged to use a kitchen essential to keep their cars cool amid soaring temperatures. This warning comes after Tuesday saw the hottest temperatures of the year so far. 3 3 Drivers in the UK are being urged to spread tin foil over their car interiors to keep cool in the current heatwave. Brits are enjoying hot temperatures and bright, sunny spells this week. Yesterday saw temperatures of up to 34.4C, prompting amber heat alerts across parts of the UK. While this is great for a day in the pool or the sea - we all know there's nothing worse than opening your car door to find a furnace waiting for you inside. According to Lucy Sherliker, Head of Customer at Zuto car finance, lacing a sheet of everyday tin foil across your car's interior can help keep your motor cool as drive in the sunshine. Aluminium foil has a bright, reflective surface which is very effective at deflecting heat. If you position the shiny side to face outwards, towards the sun, the foil will essentially act as a mirror to incoming radiant heat. This means the heat will be reflected away from your car's exposed surfaces, like its windows and dashboard. Less sunlight and heat coming inside your car means that it becomes much harder for temperatures to build up inside. The foil won't 'cool' your car per se, but rather prevent the buildup of high temperatures inside. Grumpy Wimbledon fans left with sticky fingers as record-breaking weather sees ice creams melt before getting to court It's a quick, cost-effective way of stopping your car's insides getting so hot they become untouchable when you need to drive. The method can also stop long-term fading to the interior fabrics through sun damage. This comes as temperatures are beginning to cool slightly today across the UK. Yesterday, temperatures exceeded 34C in some areas, sending Brits rushing to beaches and outdoor pools to cool off. 34.4C was recorded on the mercury in Writtle, Essex, trumping last year's record high of 33.2C - recorded on June 21 in Charlwood, Surrey. But now, the Met Office has predicted that temperatures will begin to mellow out, although without a huge loss of sunshine for many. In its forecast this morning, the weather agency said today would have a "mixed morning, with sunny spells and showery rain". The forecaster continued: "The rain could be heavy in the east, with perhaps the odd thundery downpour." Met Office weather maps indicate that much of the eastern and north-east England, as well as Scotland, could receive heavy rain later today. This includes the cities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh as well as a number of other towns alongside the east coast. Despite this rain, the Met Office has said that conditions are likely to become "drier and sunnier" as we head into the afternoon and evening. Tonight, the forecaster added it would likely be a "fine" evening, with spells of sunshine ahead of dusk. The "cooler" conditions are expected to come alongside clear skies for England and Wales overnight, leading to dry conditions. 3
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
The exact way to get your car to cool down in seconds for the school run WITHOUT AC, according to genius science formula
A SAVVY maths professor has shared the easy way to get your car cool in seconds for the school run. Hannah Fry, from the UK, took to social media to give us all a lesson in fluid dynamics. 2 2 Cars can become super hot in the summer, and it often takes a while for the AC to kick in and cool it down. But Hannah shared the simple trick to get it cool in seconds. She said: "You know that thing when you get into your car in the summer and it's absolutely boiling hot? "There's actually a flow dynamics trick that you can use to quickly cool your car down. That's what my PhD's in, flow dynamics." Instead of putting the air conditioning on, she rolled down the window behind the driver's seat and stepped out of the car. Then, using the passenger side door, she would stand and open and shut it quickly for a few seconds. Hannah did this a few times before getting back in the car as she was getting embarrassed. "The reason why it works is that when you open and close the door, especially if you do it quickly, the door, as it's moving outwards, it sweeps out all of the air that's in its way, creating this sort of area of low pressure that you get here," she explained. "Then that sets up something called bulk flow, which is where all of the hot, sweaty, horrible air inside the car is drawn outwards. And the only way to refill it is with nice, fresh, easy air from over that side. "It takes about two or three goes and suddenly it's absolutely beautifully temperate." Aldi is selling a 'rechargeable' essential for just $9.99 – shoppers say they'll be 'wearing one all day' this summer The clip has since gone viral on her TikTok account @ fryrsquared with over 1.9 million views and 150k likes. The clever hack comes just in time for summer and people were grateful for the advice. One person wrote: "Never be embarrassed about fluid dynamics, babe." Another commented: "you lowkey deserve to be nominated for the Nobel Prize." How to keep cool in hot weather Most of us welcome hot weather, but when it's too hot, there are health risks. Here are three ways to keep cool according to the NHS... Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter. Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes. Keep your living space cool. Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep. "I've done this always with zero understanding of fluid dynamics…Am I a genius?" penned a third. Meanwhile a fourth said: "My dad used to tell me off for doing this as a kid, can't wait to show him I was actually just a child genius." "This is genius!' claimed a fifth
The Sun
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
How to make your car's air conditioning blow COLDER this summer with affordable fix that takes just minutes
WITH summer in full swing and heatwaves predicted, keeping cool is on everyone's mind. Thankfully, air conditioning in most modern cars offers a welcome escape from the heat. 3 3 3 However, many of us will sometimes feel our AC could be working a little harder and blowing a little colder. And if you believe your car's cool air isn't as cold as it could be, a repair expert from FixMyCar might have the solution. Matt Wrankmore, Head of Garage Network at FixMyCar, has revealed that a quick, 45-minute garage visit can take your air conditioning from mild to ice-cold. He said: 'Many drivers expect their car's air conditioning to just work when they need it to. 'However, the air conditioning system uses refrigerant gas and a compressor to cool the air in the cabin. 'Few people realise that over 10% of refrigerant gas escapes naturally every year, which means the cooling system's power drops significantly over time. 'This is where the need for an air con regas comes in. 'Having the system 'regassed', essentially refilling the refrigerant gas, will have an instant effect on your car's air conditioning and will get you back to pleasantly cool journeys on our few scorching hot days this summer.' COOL OFF As anyone who's stepped into a sweltering car on a summer's day knows, car interiors trap and retain heat effectively, making them unbearable without a working cooling system. According to over 3,000 drivers polled by FixMyCar, 28% didn't know that the air conditioning system in their car needed to be regassed in order to stay cold. Further to that, one in 10 (9.7%) drivers assumed it would be done as part of a full service. However, many car services don't include an air con regas - meaning you'll need to book it separately. Data from FixMyCar shows that an air con regas costs £72.64 on average, with most manufacturers recommending drivers get their air conditioning system regassed every two years to ensure it's always at an optimal cold temperature. The poll also found that almost a third (32%) of drivers are unsure when they last had an AC regas. This has been confirmed by nearly 200 mechanics on the FixMyCar network, with the majority claiming the most common cause behind car air conditioning no longer feeling cold is that the car 'needs an air con regas'. 20% said that a 'refrigerant leak' is another common cause of poor cooling, while 14% flagged that a 'lack of air con use and poor maintenance' are to blame. Wrankmore added: 'Another little-known fact is that a lack of use of your air conditioning could also exacerbate the problem. 'A car's air conditioning system has an oil in it that lubricates the seals and compressor to keep it functioning smoothly when in use. 'However, not using the air conditioning frequently can cause the seals and compressor to harden or shrink, which can then cause damage that results in larger refrigerant leaks down the line. 'This is a particular problem for Brits. As we only get a few really hot days a year, many of us don't use our air conditioning as often as we should. 'So, my best advice to drivers who want to maintain their cooling system better is to turn on your air conditioning regularly, even in winter - as crazy as that sounds.'
