"How Do You Prepare Your Car For
A Long Trip?"
It’s bad enough when you
have car trouble in your local neighborhood
– or even in your own driveway. However,
nothing could be worse or potentially more scary
than have your car break down hundreds of miles
from home.
Vacations are supposed to be a
time for fun and relaxation, but the difference
between pleasure and misery often lies in whether
or not you took the proper steps to get your
car ready for that long trip.
Before you leave home, there are
several simple steps you can take to protect
your vehicle, your trip and your loves ones.
First, in case anything does go
wrong with your vehicle, make sure you give
a trip plan to someone trustworthy. Now, you
can go to work on that car of yours.
You can tackle each of these quickly
before you hit the road:
- Change oil and filter
- Begin your trip with a clean car, both
inside and out. It will help you find your
map when you need it, etc.
- Try not to put luggage over the car. It
creates air friction and slows you down
– bringing more gas. If it is unavoidable,
cover with strong sheet and tie them very
well.
- Keep a small garbage bag inside the car.
- Cover headlights and front of the car
with a protective sheet to prevent bug clogs
or other damage.
- Get an extra set of car belts.
- Change spark plugs.
- Make certain your tire iron and jack are in
the car.
- Check your spare tire.
- Pack a fire extinguisher.
- Bring towels for cleaning dirty windshields,
spills, etc.
- Get a spare key for the car and keep it
in your wallet or elsewhere on your person
in case you lock your keys in the car.
- Fix sun protectors for side windows and
front windshield.
- Get enough cassette tapes or audio CD
to cover the trip.
- Bring a plastic funnel to add water or
other fluids.
- Bring a water bucket in case you need
to use a river or lake for emergency coolant.
- Always fill your gas tank when it is half
full. Don’t wait too long.
- Make sure your owner’s manual is
handy.
In addition, you should make a checklist
of items to pack in a car survival kit. These
can include:
Before pack up, make
one final check of the following:
- Tires condition. Check tires tread and
look for signs of strain, bulges or other
damage.
- Tire pressure. Don’t over inflate
- Wipers and wiper fluid. When the rain
falls, you don’t want to discover
your wipers are useless. In addition, bug
hits can really mess a windshield, so you’ll
need a full fluid reservoir.
- Coolant. Flush radiator, if you haven't
done so in a while.
- Fuses and Horn.
- High and low beam headlights.
- Oil, power steering and brake fluid.
- Loose cables
- Heater and air conditioner, if making
a seasonal trip.
Once your car passes muster, there
are some tips for effective driving. After all,
you may not be a part of your car, but if you’re
not functioning properly, your car’s condition
really doesn’t matter.
Know your limits and plan your
trip around them. If the longest drive you have
ever taken is 300 miles in a day, don't plan
a trip with a string of endless 500-mile days.
Whether you are capable of riding 500 miles
per day, or 1,000, the ability to make miles
tends to decrease as the length of the trip
increases.
Forget about high speeds. A steady driver can
book more miles, enjoy more mountain vistas
and drive more twisty miles than someone bent
on making the best times across a mountain pass.
You’ll also save on gas over the long
haul.
Leave the Vivarin and coffee at
home. If you get tired, pull over and rest.
If it’s midway through the day, try a
nap of about 30 minutes. If it’s getting
dark, hole up in a motel. It’s not worth
risking your safety if your body is telling
you it needs rest.
Learn to avoid boredom. Long drives usually
mean moving across areas that you might not
consider prime spots. . For times like this,
carrying a tape player with your favorite music
or a book on tape can prove invaluable
Finally, stay away from trucks. Truck drivers
hate having anyone follow them. When you are
behind a truck, you become a liability to them.
Never tailgate. Instead of paying attention
to the road, a trucker will start worrying about
the people on their tailgate. After that, it
doesn’t take much for disaster to follow.
With proper preparation before
a trip, and a good attitude during a journey,
you can make sure you not only survive a long
trip – but also enjoy it.
