Summer! Barbeques! Picnics! Sporting Events! Vacations! Outdoor events! It’s all laying out before you with the passing of winter and the advent of wonderfully warm weather. But, while you’re enjoying the hot days ahead, don’t forget what the sun can do to your car’s interior.

On hot days, the temperature inside your car can reach 195°. When the internal temperature of a smoked brisket reaches 195° it’s time to take it off the grill; it’s cooked. This means that everything inside your car is literally baking.

Have you ever come out to your car on a sunny day and burned yourself on the car’s black-leather seats? Why wouldn’t you? It’s as though you took a seat in your oven. Clearly, you may find the interior of your car ‘mildly’ uncomfortable, at times, this summer.

Never leave your children or dogs unattended in the car

If you think about the interior of a car reaching temperatures, such as this, it’s no wonder that you shouldn’t leave your dogs or, OMG, your children in the car on a summer day. Even if you’re not gone long enough for the temperature to reach that high, you don’t have to be gone long for the temperature to be dangerously high.

Assuming that you’ll never leave a dog or child in a hot car, there is still the effects of those high temps on your car’s interior. Leather doesn’t bake well. Over time, the sun will cook the oils out of your leather interior, as well as other materials used for your car’s interior. Once leather bakes long enough, it dries out to the point where the leather will crack.

You may find large ruptures in the car seats and the upholstery on the doors and dashboard. In the meantime, the sun is washing the colors out of material inside your car. This happens more where the material is exposed directly to the sun. Fortunately, you and your car are not entirely at the mercy of the sun. There are things you can do to protect the interior of your car, though none of these will make it safe to leave your dog or child in the car.

Here are some tips for protecting your car’s interior during the summer:

• Park in the shade. Filtering, or blocking, the sun’s rays will go a long way towards preserving your car’s interior. Of course, you’ll also find that it increases the frequency of bird droppings and tree sap on your car’s exterior (not a problem if you wash and wax your car frequently).
• Unfold a sunshield inside the windshield when you leave the car parked in the sun. This won’t protect the back seats or protect the interior from sunlight that comes in from the sides but it can make a big difference.
• Wipe your seats, dashboard, and interior upholstery with a protective conditioner, such as Amor All. These can clean while protecting.

Take a little time to protect your car’s interior and you’ll have more time to enjoy the pleasures of summer with a car’s interior that maintains its pristine condition over time.