[Overground]

K, this is my first post in 'motoring', I know nothing about cars, so I can't answer this question:

In cars, the internal thermometer that gives a temperature on the dashboard display always seems pretty accurate when compared to the weather forecasts/what it feels like/proper thermometers. How on earth does it do this? Surely the engine etc warms the car up a lot? And wind chill factor cools it down a lot? So it's impossible to take an accurat reading, no? But it always seems to be very accurate... How?

[SuicidalLemming]

Mine's not accurate...always tells me it's like 90 degrees or something.

[gbduo]

I think they are normally in a sheltered location under the car, mine is under the front bumper in its only little hole.

But yeh good question. Don't forget that the air temperature sensor does more than just tell you the temperature outside, it also feeds information into the computer of the car so that the computer can work out the right fuel mixture for the conditions and some other things as well!

It is very cool.

But I think it does it by being in a sheltered environment. Plus, heat rises.

[chr15chr15]

yeah duo is right it is in a sheltered location away from hot/moving parts of the car!
although mines pretty inaccurate!

[gbduo]

ooo Duo, that is a new name for me

Mine is pretty accurate actually, I have one of those weather stations inside (I'm a Geographer, what can I say!) and they normally agree.

[div curl F = 0]

You can usually see them on Vauxhall front bumpers (maybe others, I don't know); there is usually a little square section cut out for them on the upper lip of the lower grilles so they don't sit in the air flow but they do get ambient air that passes into the grill area.