Juan José, mechanic: “It’s fine if you need to sleep in the car with the air conditioning on all night, but it’s better to do it in an open field with the hood up.”

In the midst of a heat wave, many people whose vacations are dominated by the road turn to their cars to sleep and spend the night.

On this topic, Juan José, a mechanic and account manager for Talleres Benezer, responded to a customer's question, concerned that her husband often sleeps in the car with the air conditioning on.

According to the expert, "it's fine if you need to sleep in your car with the air conditioning on all night, but it's better to do so in an open field with the hood up," as long as certain precautions are followed.

The mechanic noted that the vehicles are designed to self-regulate during prolonged air conditioning use.

"When you turn on the air conditioning in the car... if the engine is too hot, the electric fan will kick on; if it gets too much air conditioning pressure, the fan will also kick on. The car will just regulate itself. Open the thermostat, close it, regulate the fuel injection, you shouldn't have any problems," he explained.

However, he warned that the driver cannot monitor the dashboard alerts while sleeping, which poses risks if there is overheating, lack of fuel, or any mechanical failure.

The most serious danger, according to Juan José, is related to the possible leakage of exhaust gases into the vehicle's interior, which can cause so-called "sleeping death" due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Therefore, he insisted that if you sleep with the engine running, do so "in a well-ventilated area, so that the gases... can escape elsewhere." He added that raising the hood can help any exhaust fumes disperse upwards and not be absorbed by the ventilation system.

As additional measures, the specialist recommended installing battery-powered sensors or alarms that detect gases and sound a beep. "For me, it's more scary, because of the possibility of poisoning, than something happening to the car," the mechanic emphasized in the post.