subject: Make Sure Your Car Is Road Trip Ready [print this page] You have to do a lot more than gather supplies to make your car road trip ready. With the following advice, your car will be more than ready to hit the road:
Get A Once-Over By Your Mechanic - Take your car in to a reputable car maintenance place in order to get it looked at before your trip. Ask him to look out for anything that would be a cause for worry if you were taking the car on a road trip. Mostly, fluid checks and other standard maintenance will go along with it. Have him look at the tires for the amount of wear, and be sure to change the oil and filters as soon as you can, especially if you are close to the 3,000 mile mark.
Look At More Measures To take - Four-wheel drive cars should have that system looked at prior to a road trip. What's more, get the air conditioning system up to snuff in order to help make the trip more comfortable.
Gather a kit for emergencies - pick a place to put an emergency kit in the car, so you have it if something were to go wrong. It must have flares, first aid kits, hazard cones or flags, and things like that. If you have these things on hand, you will be prepared for anything.
Every car should have a basic set of tools on board for the inevitable unexpected automobile emergency. With jumper cables, a tire iron, a jack, sockets, and wrenches, a driver can quickly fix most on-road issues like a flat tire or dead battery. This will help ensure that any surprise doesn't ruin the whole trip.
Spare Tire - Be sure that you have a proper spare tire that is inflated adequately, as you will always have to worry about hazards on the road that can lead to a flat tire. Having this extra step will help you immensely if things go wrong.
Start the trip with a clean car. Road trips generate enough clutter by themselves-- so start the trip off as clean as possible. Everyone will enjoy the ride much more if they aren't dodging piles of papers or last week's coffee cup.
