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Tips to keep your car cooler this summer

Driving in Indian summers can be quite an unpleasant experience. Here are some ways to beat the heat.
1 min read18 Apr '17
Autocar India News Desk

Keeping windows cracked open allows cross-ventilation, which expels hot air from the cabin while the car is parked.

Keep your phones, MP3 players, CDs and other belongings away from direct sunlight to avoid damage.

Unless you’re one of the lucky few living in the cooler parts of India, by now, almost all of us are painfully aware of the fact that we live in one of the most torrid countries in the world.
A point that becomes especially apparent when you enter your car that’s been parked in the sun; even if it’s been there for just half an hour. While we can’t totally get rid of that ‘driving in a furnace’ feeling, the following tips will definitely offer some much needed relief and help keep the car’s cabin relatively cooler.
 
Keep the windows slightly open 
When parked directly in the sun, keeping the windows slightly down aids in cross-ventilation and extracting heated air from the cabin. However, make sure the window isn’t rolled down too much, else, it may pose a security risk. 
 
Buy a solar-powered fan 
These are quite effective and help in keeping your car cool even during extended hours in the sun. These solar-powered fans extract hot air from the cabin (just like a fan in your computer’s cabinet) and when paired with a cracked window, are very effective. Google ‘solar auto cool fan India’ and you should find a few websites selling them and can be bought under Rs 1,000.
 
Get your air-conditioner serviced
It may sound obvious but many people tend to overlook the condition of their HVAC system. A clogged filter or low levels of refrigerant gas unnecessarily burden an already overworked system and significantly reduce the cooling performance. Typically, servicing the AC costs around Rs 2,500 for most hatchbacks and smaller sedans.
 
 

Keeping it cool: Car AC servicing simplified

Here are the crucial bits you should know about your car’s air-conditioning system before you get it serviced.
2 min read18 Apr '17
Staff Writer

The Art of Performance Tour by Jaguar

We get to put Jaguar's India line-up through its paces at a performance workshop in Aamby Valley.
2 min read17 Apr '17
Mark Narakaden

India to Paris in a Renault Kwid part 2: Journey through China

We witness the sights and sounds of China and experience the country's highways as we continue onward on our journey.
4 min read13 Apr '17
Autocar India News Desk

The toughest road we faced in China and perhaps the whole trip; thick snow and sheer drops kept the drivers on their toes and their hearts in their mouths.

t may not look as majestic as you see in the photos, but this too is the Great Wall of China; albeit the smaller, western end of it.

The Kumul desert is our introduction to the main Gobi desert we’ll encounter later; it has soft yellow sandy dunes big enough to rival Abu Dhabi.

From 4,000 metres up to 154 metres below sea level - this basin in Turpan is the lowest inland point on earth.

We’re still in China, right? Kashgar, the last city before Kyrgyzstan is a melting pot of several cultures, evident as we stop for a photo outside its famous Id Kah Mosque.

Chinese hotpot is quite a treat; choose your ingredients, cook them yourself.

This section of highway in the Sichuan province can withstand earthquakes, and cost Rs 80 crore to build – per kilometre!

The region’s most reliable mode of transportation meets the Kwid.

Even in sub-zero temperatures, we face slowdowns due to traffic of the living, breathing kind.

A monk by the prayer wheels at a Tibetan monastery.

Tyre-deep snow at 4,120m above sea level; the perfect place to reflect on the drive, or have a snowball fight.

India's top model

Where does the new Tata Hexa stand against the competition? We bring you excerpts from the article ‘India’s next top model’ published in Autocar India’s February 2017 issue.
3 min read11 Apr '17
Autocar India News Desk

India to Paris in a Renault Kwid part 1: India to China

Designed in France and built in India, the Kwid is a ‘Make in India’ story like no other, and we’re on a journey to take it ‘back’ to Paris
4 min read4 Apr '17
Autocar India News Desk

Rough road transportation has come a long way since the good old days, and we’re all the happier for it.

Lift-net fishing is very simple and far more lucrative than it looks; we watch the day’s catch outside Dimapur.

Immigration between India and Myanmar is a cane shed with a desk in it; still friendlier than most airports.

Each time we visit, it’s just as fascinating. The India-Myanmar border is no more than a single-lane metal bridge.

Putting every last one of the Kwid’s 180mm ground clearance to full use in Myanmar.

The river became the road: the Irrawaddy broke its banks and crossed the highway.

Sure Myanmar has a lot of bad roads, but when they’re good, they’re really, really good.

Every stupa in Myanmar is grander than the last, and this one, with its gold domes and mirrormosaic interiors was definitely worth a visit.

If you though our potholes were bad, you should visit Myanmar, which had the roughest roads on this trip.

Thanaka is a sunscreen home-made from bark and used all over Myanmar.

The grandeur of the Myanmar-China border gate is a sign of things to come.