A road trip can be a terrific bonding experience for the family or an utter nightmare lampooned in comedies. Every year thousands of people take to the open road for a vacation. They stop at landmarks, eat gas station food, have singalongs, play road trip games, and take a lot of pictures. They also suffer breakdowns, flat tyres, get hopelessly lost, lose their luggage, or worst of all suffer an accident. Now no one can truly plan for an unexpected emergency, but you can do your best to avoid one Here are 6 things to check on your automobile that will avoid a breakdown hassle and get straight to that slow-motion run to Wally World.
Roadside Assistance
Before you begin checking your car’s diagnostics and upgrading its road worthiness take some time to join roadside assistance. No matter how much you prepare disaster still may strike. Having help readily at hand can be a real life-saver. It can turn a sudden break-down into a quick rescue and put your trip back on task.
Roadside assistance services cover lots of ground. They work with local and regional companies to provide long-reaching service. Roadside assistance fixes flats, provides a jump, and in extreme circumstances provides a tow. It is always a good idea to choose services that offer twenty-four assistance as an emergency can occur at any time.
Wheels
Tyres connect your automobile to the road beneath them. So the first thing you should do when planning a road trip is checked your wheels. What you want to look at is pressure, tread depth, and any signs of wear and tear. If there is balding, infections, damage, punctures, or bubbles it is a good sign that your the life of your tyre is coming to an end. Servicing or replacing your tyres before a trip saves the trouble of a flat later on.
Brakes
Your brake pads need some attention as well because you want the ability to stop to last for the entire trip. Worn out brake pads can cause damage to the entire wheel well. Not only that but they can disrupt your ability to stop and slow down.
Another thing to check is if your handbrake is functional. This is good for holding your car in place on inclines. You never know where you may be parking on your trip and do not want your car to suddenly roll away. If you are going off the beaten path to enjoy sightseeing brakes are important for those windy roads. The last thing you need is for your breaks to fail on a country road strapped to the side of a mountain.
Fluids
Checking your fluids regularly is important for normal automobile maintenance. In terms of a road trip, it is to ensure your car is fully topped off before travel. If you are going long distances you want your oil, transmission, windshield wiper, and steering fluid to be full. This way your car is in prime condition for the trip. A serious lack of oil can destroy an engine, so ensuring all your fluids are topped off optimizes your car for its journey.
Lights
You want to make sure your lights are fully functional for any inclement weather or night driving you may do. You also want to refrain from getting pulled over. If your road trip has many scenic routes planned you may be facing pitch dark nights on empty roads. Having lights is paramount to navigating these long stretches of nothing.
Wipers
Odds are at some point you will be driving through rain. In such a case you want to make sure that your wipers are up to snuff. Like everything else you want your automobile to be in a pristine condition so that nothing affects your progress. Windshield wipers are definitely an important factor in rough weather.
Spare
Always make sure you have a full-size spare readily available. If you do use roadside assistance a spare can speed up the process. It also makes sure that if you need to fix a flat you have a reliable replacement to take you the rest of the way. Most cars come pre-loaded with standard spare that is designed more for getting you the rest of the way home. They are severely limited and not capable of a long distance. A full spare will take you the rest of the way and avoid the detour of buying a new tyre.
Leaks
Inspect your car for leaks before you leave as well. They can be an indicator of a severe engine problem you do not want creeping up on you. Any leak coming from your car needs to be investigated and fixed before you hit the open road.
