Summer road trip season is nearly upon us, and with it comes all the fun of picking wacky museums and weird restaurants to visit along the way. But don’t make the mistake of putting so much planning into the pit stops that you neglect the journey—or rather, the means by which you will make the journey. Your car will need a little TLC before you hit the road. Be sure to remember these three essential maintenance checks:
Conventional wisdom says that you should get your car’s oil changed every 3,000 miles, while some manufacturers say certain makes and models can withstand longer intervals. No matter what the recommended interval is for your car, it is a good idea to at least check your oil level before you set out on a road trip, and have it replaced if you have not done so in a while.
You don’t want to neglect checking your tires before the trip only to find yourself stranded on the side of Highway 81 an hour into your journey. Before you leave, make sure that your tires are in good condition and replace them if necessary. To maximize their lifespan, have them rotated at least every time you get an oil change.
Your car battery is not going to last forever. A variety of conditions can cause its performance to deteriorate over time. You or a mechanic should check your battery’s voltage and wiring and remove any acid that has built up on it. Even if your battery gets a passing grade, you should still bring jumper cables on your road trip just in case.
Certain car dealerships offer all of these checks as parts of a combined package, even throwing in a multi-point inspection to make you aware of any other issues brewing beneath your car’s hood. Giving your vehicle a once-over before the big trip will go a long way towards making your summer road trip an adventure to remember.
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It’s definitely a good idea to check these things. I checked my oil and tires before heading up north and they found a huge rip in one of my rear tires.
All of these are so important! Once we decided to borrow my dad’s car for a trip to Florida. He assured us that it had brand new tires on it, so we didn’t check them like we usually do. Turns out the tires were brand new…..two years before, when he got the car. We had a blow out at the state line! Now I know to never skip checking the tires.
We just bought jumper cables for our second car. The one set won’t do me any good if we’re not in that car! 🙂
These are great tips! My husband always checks these things before we go on a road trip!
Thanks for the tips! We are heading out on an 8 hour road trip in 3 weeks.
My husband is a mechanic and I am sure he would absolutely agree with these three essentials. He also insists I carry a first aide kit and extra water in my vehicle, especially during long road trips.
We try to take a road trip every year and definitely think these are key items to check before leaving! Don’t want to have any issues on the road!
These are definitely some important things to do before going on a road trip. We try to do these before we go on a road trip.
This is such a great post. We really need to remind ourselves always to check out this 3 things before we go out.
Tires are so important – especially! I have had to replace one before TWO recent trips! Not the same one, two different, but still!
Yes. OIL, TIRES, and the BATTERY. I’ve made many a mistake in my day and have torn up plenty of cars before this lesson was learned. LOL
Thanks for the helpful car tips.
This certainly can come in handy.
We’ve got a road trip planned for the end of this week, and getting an oil change is high on my to-do list. It’d make for all the wrong kinds of memories to have our car breakdown.
That’s definitley the three majors to check before traveling. We always do too, and we make sure we have an emergency kit with a small air compressor too!