You would not stick your hand into a hot oven without the protection of an oven mitt, right?

Well, the same notion holds true for getting inside your car on a hot day. Believe it or not, when the temperature rises outside, the combination of extreme heat, direct sunlight and closed windows can turn your parked car into a virtual oven with temperatures reaching up to about 181|0xb0|F (83C).

Not only can this heat build up be uncomfortable for you and your passengers <\m> it can be damaging to your car’s interior as well.

On a typical sunny day, the sun’s radiation combined with the external ambient temperature is being absorbed through your car windshield and windows and is converted into heat that remains inside the vehicle.

Testing found that on a 95|0xb0| F (35C) day , air trapped inside your vehicle can heat up within minutes. Results showed that a parked car without the use of a sunshade experienced extreme heat with the dashboard heating up to 181|0xb0|F (83C), high enough to cook poultry; the car seat reaching up to 162|0xb0|F (72C), high enough to cook ground beef and the steering wheel topping out at 159|0xb0|F (70C), high enough to cook a steak, medium-rare.

The testing further revealed that, in the same extreme conditions, a car using an accordion style sunshade in the windshield, was able to keep the dashboard surfaces an average of 38|0xb0| F (21C) cooler.

Sunshades reflect sunrays and insulate your car by trapping heat between the windshield and shade.

They were designed primarily to help cool and protect your vehicle. Since they act as insulators, they can help reduce the heat in your car in addition to blocking 99 percent of damaging UV rays.

Sunshades also help protect your car’s interior since heat and prolonged exposure to the sun can cause your car’s interior to fade, crack, discolour and chalk.

Here are some tips to help beat the summer heat:

[bul]Park in the shade whenever possible

[bul]Use a sunshade to help reduce the heat build-up

[bul]Use a steering wheel cover to help protect your hands

[bul]Open doors and let the air circulate in the car for a few minutes before getting into the car

[bul]Set your air conditioner to “recycle” before switching to “maximum”

Also, tips on reducing damage to your car on a hot day:

[bul]Use a sunshade to help reduce heat and sun-damage in your vehicle

[bul]Reduce harmful UV rays with tinted windows

[bul]Use a tire coating to help protect tires from the sun’s rays

[bul]Protect steering wheels, dashboard and seats with covers

[bul]Wash your vehicle regularly and use a wax with a UV absorber

[bul]Maintain vinyl and leather interiors with a UV absorbent cleaner.

[bul]Have your cooling and air-conditioning systems serviced annually.