We all know that sinking feeling as we watch the temperature gauge on rise on a hot day. As luck would have it, this usually happens in the middle of nowhere with a car full of children on a blistering hot Aussie summer day.
There is only one thing worse than being stranded on the
side of the road with an overheating car and that is
having to treat a burn.
Never touch a hot radiator! Absolutely never try
and remove the cap of one. When your radiator
overheats pressure builds up and the resulting rush of
steam and hot coolant when opened can cause third degree
burns and permanent scaring.
Ideally you should wait at least a couple of hours with
the bonnet up and then carefully open the radiator using
a thick cloth (a towel will do), and gloves if you have
them.
Here are four steps to treat a burn should you be unfortunate enough to suffer one…
Prevention is always better than the cure, so if your dashboard shows your car is running hotter than normal or you are leaving puddles of coolant where ever you park, it is time to have your cooling system checked out. View our AutoFacts Video to learn how your cooling system works.