You think you're hot? Tell that to your car.

My car-care tip for a ridiculously hot upcoming weekend (I've heard this before and it sounded crazy, but I tried it today and it totally worked)...

If your car is starting to get too hot - the engine, not the passenger compartment, as indicated by that gauge near the speedometer - turn on your heater full blast. I know, I know, this is the last thing you want to do when it's 100+ degrees outside. It will be unpleasant, but way less unpleasant than breaking down on the side of the road.

Here's the theory: Your car's heater works by drawing from the heat produced by the running engine. (This is why it takes a few minutes for your heater to start blowing hot air when you start your car in the dead of winter.) If the engine is too hot, running the heater will help dissipate that heat faster, cooling the engine.

I know that it sounds counter-intuitive, but it worked, at least for me today. I was almost home from work when I noticed that the temperature gauge needle was just past the halfway mark. I turned on the heat and, within a minute, the needle had dropped several notches.

This is definitely a temporary fix. If your car is overheating on the regular, there could potentially be major problems that you should have checked out. But, for most of us, overheating is just the product of a running machine on a hot day. If you can, pull over and let the car cool off - DO NOT try to uncap the radiator. Check your coolant level. As I tried to tell the woman with the stalling-out Cavalier in High Point yesterday, running the AC too hard can mess with the car's idling RPM and cause it to stall, so lay off on the whole "leaving the car running while I run inside for a minute" thing. Consider slowing down - I know, I know - in city traffic.

It's going to be a hot one. You will sweat, accept that and get over it. So take it easy and be kind to that machine that gets you to work every day, okay?