We all know that situation where you get into your used car in Dubai and the thermometer on the dashboard reads 55 degrees Celsius! That can’t be right! Your doubt is confirmed when the temperature drops as you start driving. The temperature reading in your car can be a little confusing at times and not representative of the actual temperature. Read on further to find out why!
Here’s how basic temperature reading works: temperature is a degree of how fast molecules are moving and colliding with each other. Heat speeds up the molecules’ frequency of collisions and average speed, which results in a high temperature reading. A thermometer uses this principle wherein the mercury expands and rises to a specific value as it encounters heat.
Your car, though, doesn’t have a thermometer – it has a thermistor. Essentially, both do the same thing, but a thermometer measures change in heat wheres a thermistor measures change in electric current due to changes in heat. The main reason for exaggerated readings is not how the thermistors work, but rather where they are located in the car.
Most cars have their thermistors located on the front, just behind the grille. The location makes the thermometer’s measurement sensitive to heat, particularly reradiated heat from the surface of the road. The scorching pavement temperature on a bright summer day is mainly due to reradiated heat.
Consequently, road surfaces are good absorbers of the sun’s radiation. As a result of their superior heat conducting ability, the roadways heat up pretty quickly, creating hot spots. The extra heat is detected by the car thermistor thereby amplifying the thermistor reading on your car.
So, your car thermistor is not essentially measuring the air temperature, but the temperature of a localized space. The average room temperature is measured in an enclosed, sheltered place to limit the effects of extra heated surfaces or areas as much as possible.
Thermistors can provide a more accurate reading at night or in cloudy weather since the sun’s heat isn’t radiating off the road surface. Keeping your used car in Dubai prepped and cool in Dubai summers can also help give precise thermistor readings.
Now you know if your new or used car in Dubai is telling the accurate temperature or not!
If you are looking for a used car in Dubai, CarSwitch.com is the place to go! Happy switchin’!
