Summer Road Trip: How to Prep Your Car For The Long Trip
Road trips offer an excellent opportunity to explore places that you’ve never been to before. Now that you have been looking forward to your road trip for months, it’s about time you get your route planned and know the major places you will be visiting. However, there are still some things you need to consider. Mainly, you need to make sure that your car is ready for the task ahead to avoid hitting any hitches or running into any issues while on the way.
Preparing Your Car for a Lengthy Road Trip
How will you know if your car is ready for the long road trip? The following tips will help you guarantee that you are well prepared.
Check the tires
Tires are crucial to comfort, safety, and fuel efficiency, so it is vital to check their conditions even before you begin your road trip. Consider checking your tires for tear and wear and if necessary, go ahead and replace them before your road trip and get the tires matching the road’s condition. You can also visit Prestige wheels to revamp your wheels if they are corroded.
Tire pressure is also crucial for safety; therefore, ensure that you use a good-quality gauge. Look for labels in your car that indicate the correct pressure numbers, and keep in mind that those are the numbers for a cold tire.
Check the lights
Lights are an integral part of your car, so if you are going to drive yourself on a road trip, you need to make sure that the headlights are properly functioning. Consider carrying a spare headlight to your trip just in case one burns out. Use the owner’s manual if you will have to replace the headlights on the road.
Inspect the batteries
A bad battery is all it can take to stop you on your road trip. Therefore, before you leave, make sure that you check the battery terminals for any rust that might disrupt the flow of charge to and from the battery.
In case of any corrosion, use baking soda, water, and a toothbrush to neutralize it. Then wipe the battery clean, put the terminals back on, and cap them with a terminal spray.
Replace any worn-out windshield wipers
Good visibility is crucial for a safe road trip; therefore, ensure that the wipers are functioning as they should. And if you still have the original wipers, consider replacing the rubber refills. They are cheaper and available in your local parts dealer. Finally, when changing the wiper, make sure that you place a cloth under it to protect the windshield.
Test your brakes
Take time to listen keenly to your brakes, Are there any squealing or grating sounds? Is there a fiery scent when your press the pedals to the base? If so, it is time to change the brakes and get the entire braking system checked up.
The Bottom Line
With proper preparation before your long trip and an excellent attitude during the trip, you can guarantee that you survive the trip, have fun and relax. So make sure that you invest in good quality tires, check the brakes, batteries, replace any worn-out windshield wipers, and check the headlights to make sure they are functioning well.
