It’s probably happened to most of us at some point. Either we’ve experienced or seen the effects of a catastrophically overheating vehicle. A hasty stop on the side of the road, hood up, billows of steam and all of this, miles from a service station. But did you know, you might be able to make it to safety and assistance by NOT immediately pulling over? This extra tip may save you from being stranded in the middle of nowhere, facing a hefty towing fee or worse yet, no help whatsoever.

Turn your vehicle’s heater on FULL BLAST, open all the vents and roll down the windows (this last part is for your comfort… its going to get warm). While this might sound counter-intuitive, automobiles pull heat from heater core as well as turn on extra fans, increasing air flow in your engine, ultimately cooling the system MORE. Keep an eye on the temperature gauge and maintain a steady speed (between 40 and 65 mph, if you can). Avoid unnecessary acceleration if possible as well, and find a safe place to stop as soon as possible.

This extra bit of performance just might make the difference in getting you to somewhere safe where you can get help or being that unfortunate soul on the side of a lonely road trying to summon expensive help that is usually a long time coming.

Obviously, you’ll want to use this tactic sparingly and only in real emergencies. We take no responsibility for damage or injury resulting from ignoring the safety and service features of your vehicle and hope you never find yourself in a situation where you have to take emergency measures such as these in the first place. Take care and safe motoring.