June 2022

Come holiday times and most of us try to schedule some vacation time with our family and friends.

There are many who these days undertake road trips due to the improved road network in our country. And the flexibility of visiting different places and destinations on your own accord rather than being restricted by flight, rail, or bus schedules is what makes road trips attractive. It is an opportunity to spend quality and fun time with your family or friends. Road trips also open up the avenue to visit far off and unique places not catered to by other public transportation systems.

Now the most important ingredient for a successful road trip is, having a comfortable and reliable car that can ensure that your journey becomes hassle-free and not a sort of punishment. Now, you wouldn’t want to be in a scenario where you are stuck in the middle of the highway with your family and kids because your car broke down and why, because you weren’t diligent enough to make sure whether the car is ready for the journey you are going to undertake.

So let’s look at a few tips on how to prepare your car for a road trip.

Selecting The Vehicle

To begin with, the most important point is the selection of the right vehicle, provided you have more than one car in the household or extended family. Once you have decided on the destinations of your road trip, try to research on how are the conditions of the road between the destinations.

If you are going to visit some offbeat location en-route or you are going to a destination that is very far away from town centers it is important to find out how the roads are and how is the availability of fuel and lodging options. Then based on this information, select a car that can be comfortable for the number of members in your group. SUVs if available are best for road trips but cars can be more enjoyable to drive on the open roads and the countryside.

Once you have earmarked the vehicle you are going to take on the trip then start the activity to prep the vehicle for the journey. If you have a single car then that’s your partner on this journey and you should enjoy it. So start prepping it for the trip.

7 Things To Keep In Mind When Getting The Vehicle Ready

The first and foremost thing to do is, get your car inspected by your service center.

• Get the oil and other fluid levels checked and topped up if necessary.
• Get your brakes inspected and tested from the service center with a test drive by the senior mechanic. Brakes are the one thing that is a safety item and cannot be compromised when you are undertaking long journeys with the family.
• Get the vehicle lifted on the ramp/lift at the service center and get the underbody checked up for any leakages or damages you would want to fix before the trip.
• Get the suspension looked at for any worn out or cracked bushings, or loose ball joints, etc. If there are any such damages, depending upon the severity and advice of your service center you can get the suspension work done or schedule it after the trip.
• Inspect all the electrical and electronic components, make sure that all the lights, horn, and wipers are functioning properly.
• Make sure that the AC is functioning as it should and is cooling sufficiently as desired.
• Lastly but very important get the tyres checked and confirm that they are in good condition. Also, get the spare wheel checked up.

If the service interval is approaching in terms of duration and/or mileage, get the car serviced before your trip. It is always good to go on long trips with new oil and filters and everything checked. The advantage of getting the vehicle serviced before the trip if it was anyways due is, at the time of service all the above things that I talked about would get done as part of the periodic maintenance service.

An important thing to remember is to get this major inspection or maintenance service done at least 10-14 days before your scheduled start of the trip. The reason is, if any work becomes mandatory to be done on the car before undertaking the trip, there is ample time to get it done. Also, you can be more vigilant and attentive in these two weeks’ time while you are driving the car around daily to any small issues or noises and warning lights that would crop up and can get those fixed in time.

Having An Emergency Kit Ready

Now that your car is all ready for the trip, the next step is to prepare your emergency kit for the car. First up make sure that your portable tool kit is ready and in the car. Check if the jack and the wheel spanner are in place, operational, and you know where they are kept in the car.

As a good practice, while going on long journeys where you might go to destinations which would be quite far from urban areas it is advisable to carry some engine oil, maybe 2 cans of 1 litre bottles of the grade that is used in your car. Carry a small bottle of the recommended coolant as well mixed in water to the ratio as suggested. (Most of the time coolant is available in concentrated amount and needs to be mixed with regular water in the ratio mentioned on the container.)

Carry some spare fuses and get trained from your service center on how to change them in case of emergencies. Having these in spare and having the basic knowledge about it can be extremely beneficial when you are stuck somewhere. Carry a torch and emergency hazard triangle (this is usually provided in the car; just make sure it is in place). If possible and available with you, it would be convenient to carry a portable air pump which is driven from the 12V socket provided inside the car.

Once you are packed up with your emergency kit as mentioned above, the day before your journey is to start, fill up the fuel tank full and also get the air pressure in your tyres along with the spare checked one last time. Try to keep your luggage to a minimum to avoid overloading the vehicle.

Safety First

With all this taken care of, you are set for the road trip. Have a safe drive and remember you are on the road trip to enjoy and have fun with your family and friends, so don’t get involved in dangerous driving or any kind of road rage. Happy Motoring!!

Source: nextgencars.in

 

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