Road trips can be the best escape from the boring and robotic schedule of your everyday life. The warm weather, long roads and mesmerising views can revive the inner self of a person. However, a perfect plan can be ruined if the necessary measures and precautions are ignored. Just imagine if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere leaving you stranded until help arrives. Hence, your car is the first thing you need to get checked before you plan your road trip. Here are some points that might help you to get your vehicle ready for a safe and enjoyable journey.
1.Check the fluids: There are some liquid components in your car that run the necessary operations. Fluids like engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid and power steering fluid are essential for a car’s performance. The engine oil takes care of the engine by keeping the pistons, crankshafts and camshafts lubricated for smooth functioning. The engine oil should be changed every month or every 4000 kms for a smooth ride. The other fluids like engine coolant keep the engine cool at high temperature, brake fluid ensures quick and responsive brake pad compression to lower the speed of your car, steering fluid keeps the steering eased for turns at any speed and transmission fluid enables smooth gear shift during the ride. If your car runs out of any these fluids during the road trip, the car may stop functioning or can result in a breakdown.
2.Tyres: Tyres are one of the most ignored components of a car and people rarely change their car tyres after purchase. When going on a road trip in summer, you need to make sure that the tyres of your car are in good shape. Firstly you need to check the tread of the tyres for thickness and grip, you can take the coin test, or you can consult a mechanic for the ideal tyre thickness. Secondly, you need to check the right amount of pressure in the tyres, as the hot summer winds can overinflate the tyres increasing the chances of tyre explosion.
3.General Maintenance: This covers all the necessary parts which need to be mended before the road trip. The general maintenance includes:
•Brake pads repairing or Replacement: Brake pads can wear out due to the regular contraction after prolonged usage. It is essential that you get the brake pads checked before the road trip.
•Air filters: The air filters play an important part to keep the engine functioning, they filter the air that enters the engine chamber and help complete the ignition process. If the air filter is dirty or has gunk stuck in it, then the car may take a longer time to start.
•Lights and bulbs: Roads on a road trip can be unpredictable and to drive in the night or dark places you need to have proper functioning lights in your car.
If the above-mentioned points are attended to before the trip, then you are good to go, if not then ignoring them can put you in a dangerous situation.