It’s the middle of summer, the temperature’s pushing into triple digits, and you’re stuck in traffic. Suddenly a light on the dashboard comes on; it looks like a thermometer. Your car’s beginning to overheat.
What should you do?
First, if the air conditioner’s on, turn it off; if it’s off, turn it on.
Sound goofy? Well, the air conditioner is supposed to start the cooling fans running at full speed. If the car overheats with the A/C off, the fans may not be working from the temperature switch; turning the A/C on may get the fans running and cool the engine back down.
If the A/C was on, obviously the fans aren’t helping, and the A/C just adds more load and heat to the engine. So turn it off.
In either case, set the temperature on the A/C or heater controls to hot and put the fan on high. That opens the heater core and causes the fan to blow air over the fins. It’s like adding a small radiator to the cooling system. Of course, you’ll need to open the windows all the way to let as much of that heat out as possible.
You can also try putting the transmission in neutral and pressing down a little on the gas to raise the idle. That gets the water pump moving faster, to get the coolant moving through the cooling system. Not too much; you don’t want to overrev the engine.
And turn off any accessories you don’t need. Those devices draw electricity. The alternator has to work harder, creating more heat.
Now keep an eye on the temperature light or gauge. It should start dropping almost immediately. If it doesn’t get down to a safe level within about a minute, you’re done: Get over to the side of the road, shut the engine off, and call for a tow truck. Don’t keep running the engine or it’ll burn up.
If the temperature does drop when you do these things, get your car to a repair shop as quickly as possible. You may have a sticking thermostat, a radiator leak, or a problem with the cooling fans. Get it checked out and repaired before going any farther.
Your local Cottman center can check your car’s cooling system and make any repairs you need to keep it running cool through the summer, no matter how high the mercury climbs. Give them a call and set up an appointment right away.
The customer service was concerned about the parking area for my vehicle for overnight early bird service.They called me to inform me they were gonna check back with me before any services on my vehicle were done with my approval which, made me comfortable to know they showed responsibility in their work.
Fast, friendly, reliable and fair. I ended up having to get my town & country transmission repaired/replaced & my spark plugs replaced right before Christmas this past year & they said they could do it the next day if I could leave it that day. Well I didn't have a ride home & my other car needed a jump start since we hadn't driven it much. The owner not only offered to drive me home, but also jump start my other car so I could of get my niece from school. If that's not service, I don't know what is. They also ened up doing my 2014 escape transmission the yr b4. They were recommended by a friend & I would recommend them as well.
I purchased a "newly" used vehicle and was concerned about transmission issues and they made sure I was taken care of. The staff was extremely friendly and polite, and not only did they provide me with all the necessary services I needed, they also educated me. I would highly recommend this location.
The service was great. Someone recommended them to me. They took care of the issue I was having with my vehicle with no issues. I’ll be going to them from here on out!
A very satisfied customer
Staff were all professional. Manager was a saint, gentleman, and scholar. Great company with excellent values. I would highly recommend them.
Kevin and his entire staff are the best. I had a brake caliper fail and they took care of very quickly and for a great price. Since then, I had new flare fenders with led lights installed on my Jeep Wrangler. Same great service and value.
I have been taking my vehicles to Cottman for the last year and I have never been disappointed. Kevin is the General Manager and I have known him personally for several years. This is an honest shop with quality work and great, trustworthy employees. Law Enforcement friendly, which is a major plus. It is hard to find a reliable place for vehicles now and days so skip the stress and take your vehicles here.
I love this place. came here a few years back, great work. just came in recently, wanted to wait a few days for the review.let me tell you Vicki was amazing and as helpful as can be and kevin did repair and excellent job on my transmission as well as work with me . had a world of trouble with my warranty place but they did their best to help with it all and my car is running excellent. will be back soon for oil change and any future repairs. thanks guys.
I love this place. came here a few years back, great work. just came in recently, wanted to wait a few days for the review.let me tell you Vicki was amazing and as helpful as can be and kevin did repair and excellent job on my transmission as well as work with me . had a world of trouble with my warranty place but they did their best to help with it all and my car is running excellent. will be back soon for oil change and any future repairs. thanks guys.
My experience at Cottman was awesome! The waiting lounge was very clean and looked great. The front desk staff was kind and personable. My wheels got aligned very quickly and they did a great job for an awesome price! The owner is extremely professional and quite handsome as well.
Best shop to have your vehicle repaired. Professional and timely. Owner gives fair prices and easy to work with. I would highly recommend to anyone.
The work was excellent and done in a timely manner. Found the best pri
ce for the work needed!!!
Great customer service!! The staff was very attentive. A issue arose while they were working on my vehicle, and the mechanics diagnosed it and where back on track in no time. What I liked the most was that they kept me in the loop while they tried to find a resolution.
Fast and efficient service.
