A road trip is a classic, super fun and exciting vacation, but it can turn into a nightmare if your car breaks down on the road. If you run into car problems all of your plans and the schedule of the trip are disturbed.
So, to make sure that you keep cruising on the road smoothly instead of getting stuck on the side with a totaled car, you need to prepare yourself and your car for the long trip ahead. Here is a list of some of the best ways to make sure that your car is ready for the summer trip before you leave.
- Take the Car in for a Detailed Maintenance
Before you leave on a long cross country road trip, your car has to be prepared for it. Take your car to a skilled mechanic to get a detailed and thorough checkup. Going to the mechanic for a thorough checkup of the car will allow you to locate any issues with the car and fix them before they turn into more devastating and more expensive problems. If your car is not well maintained you are also at a higher risk of accidents.Â
- Check Up the Brakes and Tires
Brake failures and tire blowouts are the most common reasons of accidents on the long road. Remember to check up on these two parts before you start a long road trip. Change your brake fluids and check the condition of your brake discs. Make sure that your tires are properly inflated and have the proper amount of traction.
If you have had the same tires for a long time, then consider changing them before you start the trip. Tire blowouts are especially a risk on a summer road trip because the sun baked roads combined with the extra weight of the car increase the risk of tire blowouts.
- Check Up on the Electronics of the Car
A car can break down because of two major kinds of problems. Either there is something wrong with the mechanics of the car or the electronics of the car have malfunctioned. When a mechanically well-maintained and perfect car breaks down, it is usually because of an electrical failure.
To avoid such issues, remember to check up on the electronics of the car as well before starting the road trip. Check on the battery and the wiring of the car. Also check up on other electrical components of the car like the cooling fan, meters, headlights, the air conditioning and heating unit, and fuses before you start your trip.
The air conditioning of the car is of special importance if you are planning a summer road trip. So, get it checked by a mechanic and remember to replace the cabin filters as well.
- Pack an Emergency Safety Kit
We really hope that you are not faced by a condition where you will need to use the safety kit but it is always smart to be prepared for any situation. So, put together a small safety kit in your car in case you run into any problems. The emergency kit should have all the essential equipment to repair the car or survive until help can arrive.
It should have some food and water, batteries, flashlights, extra w5w led bulb, extra electrical fuses, a tire replacement kit and a tire pump, a car jumping kit and a basic car repairing kit. An emergency kit will ensure that you can get out of any situation that you may run into on the road.
- Join a Roadside Assistance Program
It doesn’t matter how prepared you are sometimes; you can still run into some issues that are out of your league to repair. In situations like these, it is always comforting to know that you have some back up. Join a roadside assistance program so that if you are in any trouble, help is just a phone call away. Many reliable roadside assistance programs are operating in the US such as AAA, AARP and Allstate.
- Preplan Your Maintenance and Refueling Stops
You should always study the map of the roads you are traveling before you start the trip. You should mark out refueling stops and maintenance stops on the map so that you can always get gas for your car at a trusted gas station chain. And, if you run into any problems on the road that you can’t repair yourself, you will have an idea of where the nearest mechanic is.
About the Author:
This post is written by Mark Hilton. He is a digital nomad who is obsessed with automobiles and loves road traveling. He has worked in several automobile companies and has been covering technology online for over five years. In order to know more about his site, you can visit https://carifex.com/.