Preparing Your Car for a Road Trip

When you’re going on a road trip you want to make sure your car is in good condition before you set off. This means you need to do some car maintenance checks ahead of your road trip. Of course, if you keep on top of your repairs you won’t need to worry too much. However, there are still some checks you should do to prepare your car before you set off.

Tires

You should make sure that checking your car’s tires is something you do on a regular basis. This is especially important before setting off on a long car trip. The last thing you want to experience a tire blow out when travelling at speed on the highway.

That’s a sure-fire way to get your trip off to a bad start. Make sure you know how to contact a suitable Tire Replacement company and a spare tire and car jack so you can change a tire should you need to at any point on your journey. 

Check for low tire tread, punctures or other damage to the tire and get it replaced or repaired so you can set off with peace of mind.

Oil

Do you know how to check the oil level in your car? If not, refer to the manufacturer handbook and top up as required with the correct oil for your engine. When you top or even change the oil in your car, it is always a good idea to change oil filters too. The filters catch any debris to stop damage to the engine. Making sure you have sufficient oil and clean filters will make your car run smoothly for your car trip.

Coolant.

As a standard, you should always check you have enough coolant in your car for your engine to stop it overheating. Checking the levels will also help you identify any leaks and allow you to top up to recommended limits for your car. If you can flush the radiator, however, if you have this done with regular servicing, then you won’t need to flush the system.

Wiper Fluid

You should never drive off without any wiper fluid in the tank. You need this to clear dirt and debris from the windscreen and not being able to do this could be dangerous. Whilst we’re discussing wiper fluid, when was the last time you checked your wiper blades? It may be worth replacing worn-out wiper blades if you haven’t done this for a while. Replacing the wipers should be done every 6 to 12 months.

Now you have completed the basic checks for your car, you can prepare for your car trip in other ways. To help you be extra prepared for any problems consider adding the following to your vehicle before setting off;

• Torch/Emergency lighting
• Towels/Blankets
• Bottled water/Snacks
• Sun protectors
• Spare key for the car
• Charging cables
• Fire extinguisher
• Bungee cords
• Jump leads
• Towing rope
• Spare gas container

Now you are prepared for any eventualities, you can set off and have the best road trip!