Dubai: Leaving your car parked outdoors all day can be a real health hazard as temperatures can skyrocket as high as up to 80 degree Celsius. But there is no need to despair as you can stop your car from turning into a pressure cooker by using a few simple tips and tricks that will keep you feeling cool all through summer.

First on the agenda is to remember to never immediately enter your car when it is sizzling hot. It takes less than a minute for all the poisonous gases and carbon dioxide to leave once you open the car doors, according to Rizwan Ali, general manager of a leading garage in Dubai.

“Some people think that tinting your car’s rear windows will help, but you have to put it in the front and the back, preferably at a minimum of 30 per cent. Using a sun visor can also keep the heat away and that can also stop the steering wheel from burning your hands,” Ali said.

Hot seats, belts

Over-heated leather seats and seat belts are other common problems that motorists face during summer on entering a car that has been parked outdoors all day. That can be prevented by using cotton seat covers that can be purchased at all leading hypermarket chains.

“Leather seats take about two hours to cool down at room temperature and using a seat cover, which costs about Dh100, prevents the leather from heating up,” he added.

Another quick way to stop your car from turning into a mobile microwave is to keep your windows down by around six centimetres so that air can circulate in the car while it is parked. This ultimately prevents the damage of plastic components such as CD players.