My car AC tips will keep you cool without wasting time and gas – a common mistake can be fixed with better parking

A DRIVING expert has revealed his best practices for quickly cooling cars in the summer heat.

The car professional said his tips will help drivers keep their vehicles efficient and save gas money.

As summer heat drives car interiors into sweltering temperatures, many drivers will blast their air conditioning.

But this may not be the most efficient way to get vehicles to turn down the heat, Ben Preston, an automotive writer at Consumer Reports, told Los Angeles-based ABC affiliate KABC-TV.

"You're really not helping yourself much," he told the station.

Instead, he said, drivers can beat the heat with a few parking tips and air conditioning setting changes.

They will make vehicles more efficient, he said. Here are some of his tips:

GO TO THE DARK SIDE

Preston said cars will stay cooler if they're parked in the shade.

The shade prevents the greenhouse effect within the car, where sunlight enters through the windows and heats the interior.

Without direct sunlight, the car's internal temperature remains more stable and doesn't rise as rapidly.

"The best thing to do, if you can, is to park [your car] in a shady spot," he said.

"Even on cool days, if the car is in the sun, it gets pretty warm."

Shaded areas also have less radiant heat, applying less temperature affects the vehicle's panels.

SHIFT TO DRIVE

Preston said a car's AC is more effective when the vehicle is in motion.

The engine's mechanics allow the compressor to work more efficiently when the vehicle is operating at higher RPMs.

When the car is stationary, the engine operates at a lower RPM and takes more direct energy to churn AC systems.

Additionally, reducing airflow around the condenser stops heat from escaping the engine, making the AC work harder to cool the interior.

Expert advice on prepping your car for summer

Dustin Piggot, the Service Manager at a Subaru Dealership with years of technincal experience, told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview which items drivers should have checked before temperatures rise:

FIND THE SETTINGS

Preston also said cars will more effectively recirculate cool air if fewer passengers are in the car.

Several mechanics have told drivers to hit the recirculation button to maintain energy efficiency.

But Preston said back-seat occupants may get blasts of hot air with the recirculation engaged.

He also said it is essential to use modern temperature buttons if new vehicles have standard digital AC interfaces on their dashboards.

"Like I tell my kids all the time, don't touch the thermostat," he said.

"You're not going to make [the air conditioning] go faster by turning it down to 60."

Meanwhile, older cars will take less precise care.

"Your best bet is to move the control all the way to the cold setting, and then adjust our comfort with the fan [speed]," he added.