In hot weather, it's good to know what to do if our car overheats. Imagine a typical Aussie summer day. You're on our way back from the beach in bumper to bumper traffic and the needle on your thermostat starts to rise. What do you do?

If this happens the first thing to do (unfortunately) is turn off the air-conditioning and open the windows. This will relieve some of the strain on the engine.

If this isn't helping then you might need to try turning the heater and fan on. This draws heat away from the engine and into the passenger compartment. It's good for the engine but not so good for the people in the car.

If you are in start-stop traffic try putting the car in neutral and revving the engine. This makes the fan and water pump speed up drawing more air and liquid through the radiator when the car is stationary.

Lastly, if you're in any doubt that your car is about to boil over ... PULL OVER, or risk serious damage to the engine! Open the bonnet and let the engine cool down.

The best thing to do is make sure your cooling system is functioning well long before there is a problem. Next time you're at your local mechanic, ask for a check up on the cooling system. A good mechanic will keep on top of this as part of their regular car services. But if you're not in a good rhythm with regular servicing, then it might be as simple as adding a good coolant yourself until you can book your car in with a mechanic you trust. Find out more about coolants here.