The summer heat in Rio Grande Valley is doing more damage to vehicles than many drivers realize, according to a local mechanic.

Joangel Velasquez of Edinburg knows that firsthand. He got a 2016 Chevy Malibu about a year ago and started noticing problems in April.

"First of all, I had to switch my fan speed to high instead of like keeping it in medium or low," Velasquez said. "I'd be driving, I come to a complete stop, and then the AC would just shut off by itself. It'll only be blowing just regular cool air, not cold."

The problems kept coming. Velasquez says his car also started overheating.

"So I had to get the head gasket repaired, I had to get the compressor replaced, I had to recycle the AC or the freon for it to be able to stay cooler," Velasquez said.

He says he didn't realize the heat could be behind the issues.

"Actually, to be honest, no. I did not realize that such heat from this weather can actually destroy the AC in a way, or make it less cool," Velasquez said.

Joe Garcia, owner of Joe's Master Service Center in Edinburg, says he wants drivers checking under the hood before they end up at a mechanic. He says the summer heat can be tough on more than just the AC.

"We're seeing battery failure just from the heat," Garcia said. "Tires also need to get looked at, maintained, rotated, and aligned. And also the cooling system, where the engine overheats due to cooling systems not being serviced."

Garcia estimates about 35% of the vehicles he has seen this year were already broken down or barely made it to the shop.

"A lot of it could have been prevented," Garcia said.

His advice is to visit a shop before a warning light appears on the dashboard. He says when going in for an oil change, drivers should ask the mechanic to also check the battery, tires and cooling system.

"My suggestion is to take it to your local shop when you're doing an oil-change service," Garcia said. "Get them to look at all the other stuff that we talked about and suggest any maintenance that needs to get done before the breakdown."

Velasquez says he will be paying more attention to his vehicle going forward.

"Take care of your vehicle as much as you can," Velasquez said. "Even though the prices are going to be up there, it's better than driving with no AC or driving with no car at all."

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