Car Maintenance for Safe Holiday Travel Pt 2

Last week I wrote about the major items that should be take care of prior to a long car trip.  It may seem like I hammer about this issue but I can’t stress enough how important car maintenance is to insure good performance from your vehicle.  Holiday travel can be stressful enough without worrying about your cars performance. No one wants to load up the car, head on the road for a long trip and break down.  Simple car maintenance will give you piece of mind and keep your and your family safe.

Now that your oil has been changed, brakes checked, a/c or heat is working, your mechanic checked all your hoses and lines etc…   what else is there to do?

Top off your fluids – you don’t want to have to stop and fill on the road – make sure that your coolant and windshield wiper fluid is the proper one for the region you are going to.  If you live in the south, where it rarely gets below freezing and heading north in the winter your fluids may not sustain a long, deep freeze.  Discuss this with your mechanic.

Check your tires – you’re carrying precious cargo, you and your family, make sure your tires are in tip top condition and that they are aligned properly.    Remember to check your spare tire as well!  Test the air pressure and fill if need be.

Check your owners manual to familiarize yourself with what the different dashboard signals mean if they go on.

These tips should be done a week or so in advance of your trip – which gives you time to take care of items such as purchasing a new tire.   If you followed these and the earlier tips your car should be in good shape for you to take to the road for the holiday travel season.  Remember that a routine maintenance schedule keeps you ahead of many problems that can arise with your vehicle.