Beat the heat: Maintenance and mobility on blazing days

Hot weather will also age tires, experts say.

Qi of the Audi dealership said drivers should watch tread wear and buy new ones if needed to avoid slipping on wet surfaces.

Umbrellas needed in the strong rays in Ganyu, Jiangsu province on Aug 7. [Hu Ping / for China Daily]

Experienced drivers know the importance of tire safety.

Mao Wenmin, who drives a Jeep Compass, said "whenever setting out for a long journey, I will first check the tire pressure".

Qi said drivers many times ignore the spare tire. Checking the air pressure in the spare is also important.

More checks needed

Qi also reminded drivers to check and change brake fluid when needed, especially in the hot season.

"When brake fluid ages, there will be some water in it that weakens the effect - the car might not brake in time," he said.

No matter what season, drivers should periodically check to ensure the fire extinguisher is charged and know how to use it, Qi said.

He said if an engine catches fire, do not open the hood too quickly. Instead, just open it a little bit and with patience aim the fire extinguisher at the bottom of the flames.

But drivers interviewed all said they do not specially maintain their cars for summer heat, instead taking them in for service at prescribed intervals, for example every 5,000 km.

Maintenance is also important for an owner's bank balance. Of two equal models made in the same year, the one with better maintenance can be sold at a price some 30 percent higher on the second-hand market, said Wei Li, a senior second-hand vehicle pricing expert at Beijing Wanguo Pawn Co.

Qi said the importance in car maintenance should be ranked from bottom to top.

"The closer a part is to the ground, the more maintenance it should be given," he noted.

Accessories on fire

High temperatures this summer also brought profitable opportunities for some businesses.

The sunshade sales have boomed, with in-car sunscreen accessories now among the best selling products on Taobao, China's popular online shopping portal.

Women have started a trend of wearing a sunscreen coat to protect their skin in blazing sun.

Clicking "sunscreen coats" on Taobao's search column will yield more than 1 million results priced from less than 20 yuan to more than 3,000 yuan.

Sales results on Taobao show that sunscreen covers priced below 50 yuan sold especially well. One with a price of 35 yuan at an online shop reached 5,763 deals by Aug 6.

Huang Ying, who works for an insurance company in Guangzhou, said she also likes to put a sunscreen on the windshield.

"I bought it from Taobao for just 29 yuan a set," she said.

A student driver puts a cover on a car in Lin'an, Zhejiang province to help deflect the heat. [Hu Jianhuan / for China Daily]

But whether sun coats are effective is still in question. Experts say that cheap versions are just equivalent to long-sleeve shirts.

Only when the product's rating - known as UFP - surpasses 30 and limits UV rays to below 5 percent can it be labeled "ultraviolet blocking", said Pu Lihui, director at the fiber examination center in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.

But most sunscreens on Taobao do not have UV blocking ratings. Most of them only list color and size.

A Taobao dealer told reporters that such products became popular only in the last two years.

The colorful and fashionable designs attract many young women, while the low price is affordable.

"Some girls buy several ones with different colors at one time," he said.

Wang Qian, the Fabia owner, said she doesn't believe many sunscreen products are really effective, but she still wears a white sunscreen coat when driving to pick her daughter from kindergarten and puts a sunshield on the front windshield when parking outside.

"They make me feel more comfortable, just psychologically," she said.

Han Tianyang contributed to the story.