RETIRED – Getting Your Vehicle Road Trip Ready

With the more pleasant weather of summer almost upon us, you’re dreaming of places to visit from Fort Walton Beach, FL. Whether you go by yourself or with your family, you want to focus on the sites and people, rather than worry about your car making it. At Preston Hood Chevrolet, we want to give you some tips for getting your vehicle ready for your trip.

Empty the interior.

You want as much room as possible in your car to accommodate all the people and gear that you want to bring along. Start by emptying the interior of anything that you don’t want to take on your trip, including winter clothes, children’s toys, and any trash. Then, give the insides a good cleaning by wiping all the hard surfaces with an auto interior cleaner and then vacuuming the upholstery and floor.

Inspect the tires.

As your primary connection to highways and trails, your tires need to be in top condition to carry you through your driving day. Inspect them by inserting a quarter into the treads with the top of Washington’s head facing down. If you can see the top of his scalp, then your tires are too worn to be safe and need replacing before your trip.

The Tire Pressure Monitor on your dash can reveal if your tires are underinflated. If your vehicle doesn’t have one, buy a tire gauge from your auto center to check the air pressure after your car has been parked for a few minutes. You’ll find the recommended pressure on the door jamb of the driver’s side or in the owner’s manual. You can add air using the pump at your local gas station.

Make an emergency kit.

If you have a problem on the road, you can use OnStar® or your smartphone to summon help. But you want to stay comfortable while you wait for them to arrive. Make an emergency kit to take care of you and your passengers, and to make simple fixes. Start with a backpack that you can carry with you if you need to physically leave your car. Put the following items in the kit.

• Water and non-perishable snacks that can survive the heat.
• Tools for small repairs, such as pliers, a screwdriver, a flashlight, jumper cables, tire sealant, and duct tape.
• First aid kit to take care of minor injuries.
• Warning triangles and LED road flares to warn other drivers.
• Spare charging battery to power up your personal devices, such as a smartphone.
• Sun protection, such as sunblock, a hat, and sunglasses.

Test climate control.

Your climate control keeps you and your passengers comfortable throughout your journey. While this system can handle heating, you’re more likely to use it for cooling if you’re traveling during the summer months. Before you go on your trip, try out the air conditioning to ensure that it’s working. Test both the fan speeds and temperatures. If the climate control system is not producing a comfortable temperature, you may have a minor issue, such as a lack of refrigerant, or a major problem, such as a broken hose that needs professional replacement.

Check the fluids.

The fluids that circulate throughout your vehicle are responsible for keeping essential systems running without rubbing against each other to produce too much friction. Your owner’s manual can tell you how to check the levels for your coolant, engine oil, and transmission, power steering, and brake fluid. You can refill many of these liquids on your own.

Look at the wipers.

You’ll hopefully experience nothing but good weather on your road trip. But if it starts to rain, your wipers can clear your forward view. If they’re not cleaning the windshield thoroughly or are leaving streaks on the glass, replace them. Test the windshield washers to make sure that the nozzles aren’t clogged and are working correctly.

Take it in.

If you have neither the time nor the effort to perform any of these tasks, bring your vehicle to our service department. Our factory-certified automotive techs can perform many of these tasks for you, except for creating your emergency kit. We rely only on manufacturer-approved parts to make sure that your car runs like new.