 And besides taking care of yourself and your pets during this heat wave, you'll also need to take care of your car. John Gilliland has more. Auto Club spokesman Julian Perretta says this kind of heat over a prolonged period kills cars. Keep track of anything that's rubber on your car, your car battery, vehicle fluids. Your car has to work a lot harder during the heat, and if you're not careful, those things can definitely give you problems.