With temperatures peaking into the 30s this week, the last place you want to be is stuck on the side of a highway.

The owner of one Peace Country repair shop is making some simple suggestions to avoid being that person.

“Definitely, you want to make sure your cooling system is working properly,” recommends Sheldon Sears with SS Automotive in South Taylor.

The type of anti-freeze used is equally as important.

“You go by the colour the manufacturer recommends because there is a difference between diesel and gas (powered engines) with some good for 100- to 160,000-kilometre intervals. You just need to look for which one your vehicle requires.”

Sears encourages motorists to check their owner's manual to see the specifications.

Another important feature of your vehicle at this time of year is air conditioning. One tell tale sign, he says, is just how cold the air is blowing from through the vents.

“If you're comfortable in the vehicle at 30 degrees and you have to turn it down, that's generally when it's working good,” Sears says. “If you have to have it at full blast all the time and you're barely keeping up with it, it's not keeping you cool, then generally there's an issue. There's a low charge or something along those lines.”

“You also never want to open the radiator cap under any circumstances if it is overheating,” he warns. “If there is overheating, you will get boiling out of your rad cap.”

Another good practice, but really only as a temporary stop gap measure should you find yourself driving in a remote area and your car or truck starts to heat up – turn on the heater. While it will blow hot air into your face, it will cool the engine. While suggested, it should really only be done after you've pulled over and done a quick visual check of the engine.

“You're going to want to check your hoses. Check for leaks. Make sure you're good on that end,” adds Sears.

A really good rule of thumb, though, is to always have coolant or anti-freeze safely stored in your vehicle and isolated from pets if they travel with you.

While we aren't all mechanically-inclined, Sears believes keeping up on maintenance is key to avoiding potential problems.

“Absolutely! You want to keep up on your intervals. Oil, for example. Sometimes the manufacturer's recommendations are not what they should be. If you're doing your oil changes just 'cause the light comes on in your dash, it's not necessarily the time. It should have been done, maybe, prior to that because of our climate here with more extreme lows and highs than some places have.”

Not enough engine oil can also affect the temperature of the engine just as much as having too much.

Finally, Sears suggests keeping a close eye on the amount of air in your tires, especially with the current heatwave.

“Your tires are going to get hotter so you're going to want to definitely have them to what your manufacturer recommends, which is printed inside the driver's door.”

He points out low tire pressure can impact the way a vehicle functions including fuel economy, and, with the price of gas and diesel, it's an added incentive, he believes, to have them properly inflated.

“You want to make sure you're definitely not too low because you're going to be sucking the fuel back pretty good.”

All good suggestions as we navigate through our first heatwave of the year and make plans for the upcoming B.C. Day long weekend.

Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm late this afternoon. High 30. Humidex 35. UV index 7 or high.

Partly cloudy. Clearing near midnight. Risk of a thunderstorm this evening. Low 17.

Sunny. Wind becoming north 20 km/h near noon. High 29. Humidex 33. UV index 7 or high.

Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Low 15.

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. High 24.

Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Low 14.

Have a story or opinion to share? Email your letters to sports@ahnfsj.ca