Are you planning to go on a long road trip? Before you embark on your trip, you should check your car to make sure it is safe for the long drive. This way, you can detect any potential issue, and fix it so that it doesn’t lead to mechanical problems along the way, or worse, an accident.
Planning on a long road drive? Here are the essential things to check before hitting the road.
Check the brakes of your car
It is vital that you check the brakes of your car before driving it, whether for a long journey or a short trip. Bad brakes has been known to cause fatal accidents on the roads, so this is one checklist you should not take for granted.
Some of the pointers to a bad or faulty brake include:
- Soft or spongy brake pedal
- Vibrations on the pedal when braking
- Squealing noise coming from the tires when you brake
- Steering pulling to the side when you brake
If you experience any of these signs, contact your auto mechanic immediately.
Check fluids
Experts recommend that you check the oil levels in your car before driving. If your car is short on oil, it can cause your engine to develop problems that would cost a lot to fix. In fact, shortage of engine oil, gear oil or hydraulic fluids can shut down your car in the most unlikely places, leaving you stranded and at the mercy of other motorists.
It is also important that you check the coolant level in the radiator of your car.
Constant shortage of water or oil in your car’s engine could be a sign of a much bigger problem, and is something you need to fix immediately. These type of problems are common when you buy a secondhand car, and can cost a lot in repairs. For this reason, before you buy a used car, carry out a free vin check to determine the history of the car and save yourself unnecessary hassles.
Check that all the lights and signal indicators are working
Even if you don’t intend to drive at night, you will definitely take a turn sometime in your trip, and you will need to put on your blinkers. Therefore it is a good idea to check that all the lights and signals on your car are working. This includes the headlights, traffic indicators, interior lights and so on.
You never know if you will hit a traffic jam on the way that will cause you to arrive your destination late at night.
Check the pressure on your tires, and spare
Before driving off on your long trip, take a few minutes to check that you have the right amount of air pressure in your tires, including the spare.
If you tires have too much or too little pressure, it can cause problems on the road, and even lead to accidents.
The correct pressure for your tires is usually found on a sticker on the inside frame of your car door, on the driver side. If your tires don’t have enough pressure, visit a nearby garage to have them done before driving further.
