NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans hasn't seen temperatures this high since 1990 and this record heat is impacting our cars, that's what local mechanics say.
Inside the garage at Emile's Auto Repair, the temperature is nearing triple digits. Emile Virgadamo told Eyewitness News, "It's ridiculous right now."
He went on to say, "It's just been historic, I have never seen the heat that bad here."
Virgadamo and his mechanics are working overtime, telling Eyewitness News reporter Eleanor Tabone that in his 50 years of business he's never changed this many car batteries. He says the heat is causing grief in the car world.
"More air conditioner work than I have ever seen before," said Virgadamo. "I have changed more batteries this year than I have ever changed."
Over at Kev's Kars, they're seeing customers experiencing the same problems with batteries. Craig Dietrich said, "We're finding the batteries are very weak and bad right now."
Dietrich explaining how the heat can kill your car battery, he said, "The acid inside the battery and the led plates have to maintain their consistency and once it's out of consistent range that's when it under-performs."
Our Eleanor Tabone knows firsthand the struggles of driving around in this heat without A/C because she, too has no A/C, but both mechanics offered some advice to keep you cool during this excessive heat wave.
Virgadamo said, "Every three years it's good to change your battery."
He says drivers need to pay attention to alerts.
"Listen to the dashboard when it tells you something is low, people let it go and go till it lays down on you."
Dietrich suggests regularly changing your A/C filters, and not to hit max A/C when you first get in your car, instead wait: "You should want to use fresh air for the first five minutes and once you get rolling and moving around then you want to put it on re-circulate."
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