The road trip. An essential part of anyone’s motoring story. It doesn’t matter what the reason is – it could be a holiday, it could be a concert by your favourite band, or it could simply be a desire to see what’s out there, with simply enjoying the journey as the most important facet of the exercise.
Whatever your reason for hitting the road, you want your wheels to keep rolling throughout, and a breakdown would definitely put a few dents in the overall level of enjoyment.
But there’s an easy way to avoid all this ‘stuck at the side of the road’ angst – just carry out a few checks and do some car maintenance before a road trip, and you’ll be giving yourself the best chance of having an experience that will live long in the memory for the right reasons.
To help you out, we’ve put together a best road trip preparation checklist, to guide you through what to do and how to do it. So, if you’ve been wondering: “What should I check on my car before a long trip?", we’ve got you covered.
1) Oil
Start the vehicle and allow the engine to warm fully.
Switch off and wait for 10 mins for the oil to settle, then remove the dipstick, wipe it clean, then reinsert it. Remove the dipstick once more and check the level. It should be close to the MAX level.
If it isn’t, top up with oil of the correct grade.
Check the dipstick once more, repeating until the level is at the MAX line on the dipstick.
2) Coolant
With the engine completely cold, the coolant level should be between the upper and lower marks on the side of the reservoir (expansion tank).
If it is low, top up with the correct type of coolant (not water).
3) Tire condition, pressure and tread depth
Check each tire for cuts, tears, lumps, bulges, separation of the tread, and exposure of the ply or cord due to wear or damage.
Make sure the tires are of the correct size for the vehicle, that they are of the same size and type on each axle.
Ensure that the pressures are correct (always check tire pressures when the tires are cold, not just after the car has been driven).
Check the tire tread depth. The legal minimum is 2/32in (1.6 mm).
Remove any nails or stones embedded in the tread before they penetrate the tire to cause deflation.
4) Lights
Ensure that all lights work as they should, including daytime running lights, indicators, foglights and numberplate lights.
To check rear lights, reverse up to a wall and you’ll see the brake lights, reversing lights, foglight and indicators reflected. Or press the brake pedal and have a friend or family member check the lights for you.
5) Washer fluid
Ensure that your vehicle’s windscreen washer fluid reservoir is topped up.
6) Wipers
Examine the wiper blades, and renew damaged or perished blades.
7) Plan ahead
Plan your route, including regular stops for fuel and to refresh yourself (official advice is a 15-minute break every two to three hours).
Pay for breakdown cover – it can keep you moving when the car decides to have a meltdown.
Check to see if your route has roadworks on it. If it does, consider an alternative.
Check the weather. Don’t set off with weather warnings in place for your route.
8) Tune up
And of course, the most important preparation of all – make sure you have a suitably lengthy and enjoyable playlist cued up!
