Dear Car Talk hood-raising rebuttal

Rebuttal to hood-raising advice: My concern in allowing the engine bay to cook is the battery. Like milk and mayonnaise, batteries do not “keep” as well if they sit around at higher temps. While the car is in motion there is airflow, albeit warm air. But the motor gets up over 200 degrees, and hours after parking the car everything under the hood gets pretty warm. As anecdotal evidence I can offer that my wife’s cars, bought new, have needed 2 new batteries in 20 years, while mine have needed only one and that in a vehicle that had been bought pre-owned with 43K miles on it. (This was not a $90 battery, more like $350.) I’m pretty sure the lawyer who owned it before was not a hood-raiser. So my practice is to raise the hood in the summer, only in my garage, and to not buy cars owned by lawyers.

Interesting idea, but I’m sure 99.99% will not do that.

He’s referring to this:

Well at least by doing this only in you garage that reduces the number of people shaking their heads and wondering what kind of thinking is that . As for not buying a lawyers used vehicle I can’t see that as a factor at all.

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