[Juxtaposition109]

Hello all,
What are the common car parts that you need to replace / check more often w/ living in a very hot and arid climate like we have here in Las Vegas. I recently had to get a new set of tires and I went for some that were a bit higher in price b/c I figured w/ the very high heat that we have here in the summer that tires would wear out a lot quicker. Is this a good hypothesis? Also I have heard that the belts for the alternator etc.... need to be changed more often here b/c of the dry arid heat. What all car parts do you have to beef up or check more often w/ living here in Las Vegas?

[macgeek]

Batteries, Vegas Eats Batteries.
your 10 year battery will last 4 years

Jonathan

[Golfinnova]

Originally Posted by macgeek

Batteries, Vegas Eats Batteries.
your 10 year battery will last 4 years

Jonathan

If you get 4, you're doing great. I would budget 3 years max on a battery as I just did on all 3 of my vehicles as I will take that versus being on the side of the road in this heat. Tires are the same, expect to replace at 3 years max regardless of mileage.

Even though we don't get a lot of rain, this is the time to replace wiper blades. I checked mine before leaving for Tahoe and both were torn.

[Juxtaposition109]

Ok so battery, tires, and belts. Anything else specific? Thx for the 411

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Juxtaposition109

Ok so battery, tires, and belts. Anything else specific? Thx for the 411

The dashboard upholstery if you don't get a dash cover. Some newer cars dash boards won't crack, but many do. The Saturn was one that didn't have that problem. Just about anything soft like rubber will give out a little sooner here than in humid climates. But look at it this way: you don't have to worry about rust or road salt damage...and you get to live in Las Vegas, TBCOTA.

[ScoopLV]

+1 for dashboard cover. Also, the best parking space is the one with shade. Not the one close to where you're going.

Get a AAA card. Buy your batteries though them. They warranty the batteries longer than they're likely to last in this heat.

[irishspy]

Good advise folks keep it coming especially for us amateur hot weather folks who have lived in the cold weather areas. We figure warm weather less car problems. I guess the only plus I see is in cold weather areas the batteries belts and etc crap out when it gets cold and I mean 10 to -10 degrees and you freeze your body parts off working on the car if you can tolerate it. Try doing your own oil change when it is 10 degrees wind chill of -10 and one foot of snow on the ground. I will be moving out to LV in October so I'll do a complete check on the car before next summer and take the info you folks have supplied and apply it to the check up list for the car. One thing I did not see mentioned does a good coat of wax on the car help or hinder in the LV environment? If it is helping is there a type of wax to use for the hot weather.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by irishspy

One thing I did not see mentioned does a good coat of wax on the car help or hinder in the LV environment? If it is helping is there a type of wax to use for the hot weather.

I don't see how it could ever hurt. You'd want to use a sealant though, unless you're willing to apply it every other week; a natural wax (carnauba) doesn't last that long in moderate climates, and in the summer here, I'd guess that most of it would be gone in a couple weeks. I use a base of Zaino Z2/Z5 on my cars, and refresh it with a coat of Z8 or Optimum Opti-Seal every few months. Dust is a real problem here, and the slickness of Zaino prevents the dust from adhering, so just airflow is enough to get much of it off.

I have not tried the newer more permanent sealants, like Gtechniq, 3D/HD, or C-Quartz, though Gtechniq EXO looks intriguing (though very expensive).

Here's a recent thread started by Paul Dalton, the guy who gets over ten thousands dollars to detail a car, on using Gtechniq EXO on a new Mclaren MP4-12c.

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-b...n-mp4-12c.html

[MediocreButArrogant]

Most of the effects of extreme heat and high UV can be ameliorated by keeping your car garaged, or in covered parking as much as possible. Just one day sitting in the sun in the driveway has to age my car more than a couple weeks of being garaged. UV blocking coatings such as 303 Aerospace and Zaino Z-16 tire dressing will slow the damaging effects of UV on your car's tires and exterior plastics and rubber. A guy that does high-end auto restorations in the SF Bay Area told me I should alternate 303 Aerospace and leather conditioner on my car's leather interior - apply 303 one month, and then the conditioner the next.

Plastics used in cars are a lot better than they were 20 years ago, and car glass blocks a lot of UV, but it's not 100%, so you can still benefit from reducing the amount of UV hitting your car's interior. That could be window film, a windshield shade, or a dashboard cover.

[Buzz123]

Besides window tinting, THIS is the best thing you can put on your car in Las Vegas:

Eclipse Sun shade, Auto Sun Shade, UV Shield Sun Shades, covercraft sun shade, car window shade, windshield shade, sunshade

They're a little bit high priced, but they last for years; so you if you buy a new car you can get the clips and move them to the new car. We've been using them for years, and we get them at the seat cover booth in Fantastic Indoor Swapmeet by the back door. I think it's still called Avi's although Avi doesn't own it anymore.

They'll install them for free, but it's easy to do. Believe me, forget about those cardboard or aluminum accordion types ...those add heat to your car because they get hot and conduct it to the car's interior. The sunshades do not get hot, so you don't have to worry about scalding your hands while fumbling with those bulky cardboard or aluminum things, and then trying to find someplace to store them.

While you're there you might also want to invest in some sheepskin seat covers to save burning your bottom. And,yes, they are a lot cooler and softer to sit on than non-sheepskin, and, no, they are not hotter just because they're sheepskin.

Also, steering wheel covers that don't conduct heat will save blistered hands too.

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