There's still time to get in a good ol' family road trip before the kiddos summer break draws to a close, so though it's up to you to decide what's “fun” for the family, let's make sure your vehicle's ready to take care of you during the round trip.
Provided you have your itinerary and snack selection already set, how about we give the trusty steed that’ll be carrying you, the family, and all your belongings on your adventure a good once over? Roadside repairs are quite likely NOT on the vacay checklist. Speaking of checklists, let’s get into this.
The Basics & Beyond: Essential Car Checks for Your Road Trip
- Battery Health: As we’ve covered in-depth previously, summer heat can be tough on car batteries. Have your battery tested to ensure it's still feeling strong and not waiting to give up the ghost in some parking lot in the middle of nowhere.
- Tire Tread and Condition: Check for uneven wear or signs of damage, and be sure to get down there and look at the inner-side as well. Make sure there are no bulging or flayed sidewalls that have been hidden from you. Of course, worn (or especially, bald) tires can be dangerous, especially on long drives, as your tires warm up for extended periods. Uneven wear can, and likely is, a sign of other issues, but at the very least make sure you have tread depth of at minimum 2/32nds, though 4/32nds is already pushing it performance-wise. If you don’t have a measuring device handy, most tires have tread wear indicator bars that span the width of the tire inside the tread; if your tread is down to that bar, it’s time to put some new shoes on those wheels.
- Lights and Signals: Make sure all your lights, including headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and hazard lights, are working correctly. This is, of course, for safety, though it should also keep the local constabulary from slowing your progress (and possibly giving you a keepsake ticket) on your travels.
- Wipers and Washers: Ensure your wipers are in good condition and your washer fluid is topped off. You never know when a sudden summer shower might pop up, but we all know what it’s like trying to peer through our windshield’s bug collection, especially when they end up directly in your eyeline.
- Air Conditioning: As it’s already late summer, you’d likely already be aware of this, but just to be safe, make sure your AC is blowing cold air. If there’s any inkling it isn’t as frosty as you feel it should be, get it checked. Having it looked at, and if need be, recharged, can be a quick and simple process - it’s at least better than a carload of very warm, very grouchy people.
- Emergency Kit: No hyperbole, this is arguably the most important thing on the list. We should really have this anyway, but since we’re venturing far from home, packing a basic emergency kit definitely falls under the lengthy-titled category of, “hopefully you won’t need it, but you’ll sure be glad you have it if you do.” The absolute basics of such a kit includes: jumper cables, a first aid kit, flashlight, and water. You can easily find far more extensive kits for sale online that include basic tools, flares/reflectors, tire repair kits and the like, and we simply recommend considering your needs based on the specifics of your trip. Even if you have a roadside assistance service and are sticking to main roads, you’ll want to be able to take care of you and yours while waiting for help, so be sure to take this into account. We don’t want you to think of the “not fun” possibilities of your trip, we just want you to be safe.
And there are your essentials. If you’d like any assistance with anything listed above, we invite you to visit our service center where we’ll be happy to make doubly sure your vehicle’s ready for your nice long cruise. Now get on out there and squeeze the rest of the fun you can out of what’s left of summer! Be safe, and make some memories.