15 Things To Check On Your Car Before a Road Trip

When it comes to road trips, your car will be your “best friend”. However, before hitting the road, you will need to make sure that everything works properly. In this way you will be able to drive safe, avoiding breakdowns and mechanical issues. Therefore, you won’t need to be concerned about taking your car on a long trip. If you don’t provide your car some basic maintenance, you will risk being stuck alone in the middle of nowhere, with anyone to help you. This is not quite the dream scenery, and therefore you should start working to check your car before a road trip.

There are several steps that you should take, as following:

1. Perform any major repairs before hitting the road, with at least one month in advance.
2. Check the fluids, i.e. you will need to check the oil, coolant, and brake fluid levels. In this way you will be able to avoid an unnecessary breakdown, and even a possible accident.
3. Check the air and the spare tire pressure, making sure not to exceed the max that is marked on the side of the tire.
4. Check your brakes, since they are actually your last line of defense. You can hire an expert to take a closer look, conducting a thorough inspection.
5. Change the oil before you leave because a long trip can add more stress on your motor.
6. Check the tire wear using a tread gauge, since tires tend to heat up during long trips. If this happens, you will need to handle blowouts and worn out tires.
7. Check the coolant because you may reach a destination where it is a lot warmer or cooler than your town.
8. Check the car’s air filter, since the clean air improves the engine’s performance and it reduces fuel economy.
9. This may sound odd, but you should wash your car in order to acquire the best visibility.
10. Check the functionality of the lights and signals, replacing bulbs if it is necessary.
11. Clean your car and keep in mind that the more stuff you have, the more fuel you will burn.
12. Make sure that you have a spare tire with you.
13. Buy a road atlas, since it may help you at any moment. It is better to have one than to wake up lost in the middle of nowhere.  Although most smart phones have this feature.
14. Make sure that you have the emergency equipment in your car.
15. Fill the gas tank in time, especially because it may be more expensive in other places on the road.

If you want to make sure that you won’t have any problems on the road, you can go to a service, asking the opinion of a professional. In this way you will be able to change anything that presents problems. Therefore, you will know for sure that there is no need to worry, being able to have fun on the road.