The summer is a great season, but it also comes with its disadvantages and getting into a hot car is one of the biggest. Anyone who's sat on hot leather knows the pain of having their thighs seared like tuna steaks.

The only solution is a shady parking spot, but how do you find such a thing? Well, Volkswagen wants to use data from its cars to help you out, according to a new patent filed at the European Patent Office.

Using sensors, Volkswagens could soon determine the temperature and brightness of a particular parking spot and in concert with internal and external thermometers figure out if the car is shaded or not.

VW would then send that information to a centralized database to help other people find shady parking spots. Alternatively, come wintertime, the service could help you find sunny spots to help warm up your car.

Admittedly, at first it sounds a little like an infomercial problem , but a hot car is genuinely one of the worst things about summer and any help  you can get controlling that is welcome.

Reported with help from Dennis Chung