It’s summer! With constant sunshine and a few weeks of vacation, there’s no better time to pack up the car and head out on a sightseeing adventure with the family. Once you’ve planned your route, packed your bags, and selected a suitable mixtape for the journey, there’s one last thing you need to take care of: your vehicle.
It may be a hassle, but it’s definitely worth it; a recent survey discovered that an estimated 77% of cars are in need of maintenance repairs, and you really don’t want to be stuck in a broken down car on what was supposed to be a fantastic summer family vacation. Adventure comes in the form of the open road and exotic destinations, not in a sweaty, overweight mechanic named Bud.
Start with the basics. Your car generally needs an oil change every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. If you don’t remember the last time you got yours done, it’s smart to make an appointment before you head off on your thousand-mile-plus trip to be absolutely sure you don’t run your engine dry (which can be extremely costly in repairs). In fact, it’s a good idea to check all the fluids in your vehicle: transmission and differential fluids, coolant, even windshield wiper fluid. Your car’s manual will have instructions on how often these need to be changed, and it can be done with your routine car oil change appointment.
Next, move onto the general systems. Make sure your lights work and check your breaks — you don’t want to be flying down the thruway at 70 miles an hour in the middle of the night only to discover that you can’t see or stop. Check your wheel alignments and ensure that your tires have enough air and tread to handle the extensive trip. If you need tire alignments done, make sure to take a trip to your local auto repair shop. Take a close look at your battery, paying attention to any possible corrosion on the terminals and checking that the positive and negative leads are nice and secure.
Last but not least, make sure your luxury systems are in working order. You don’t want to set out on a trip to the Southern U.S. without a fully functioning air conditioning system, or your whole family will be as sweaty and gross as Bud. Additionally, you want to make sure your GPS is fully charged and ready to go; most smartphones have GPS built into them but do not function where there is no cell service. Satellite GPS systems do. It might also be a good idea to map out your entire route ahead of time just to be on the safe side.
The average national costs for repairs on cars is $356.06, but it may well be much, much higher if you don’t check on everything before heading out on your long journey. Avoid the potential stress by following this car maintenance care and the only thing you’ll have to worry about on your family road trip is how much money you’re spending on gas.
