6 Things You Should Always Check Before a Long Drive
It's important to make sure your car is prepared before you take a long road trip. Follow these tips to help prevent any mechanical issues on a long drive.
Table of Contents
- What to check
- Inspect your tires
- Check your fluids
- Visually inspect belts and hoses
- Check exterior lights
- Monitor for warning indicators
- Check air filter
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Before you go on a long drive, make sure to check some basic functions of your car to ensure you won't have a mechanical issue or
breakdown
on the way.Americans are going on more road trips than ever, with many as 70% of personal out-of-state trips for recreational purposes racking up the miles on a car instead of a plane. Safe driving involves keeping your vehicle in good condition, and that’s even more important when you’re going on a long drive.
Before you leave on a long drive, a comprehensive visual check is the responsible thing for any driver to do. Follow these tips by
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Things to check before a road trip
Routine maintenance is key for your car’s longevity. If you’ve had your vehicle properly maintained in recent weeks or months, a check before a long drive should be a formality. However, a visual inspection is still an important detail to allow for confident travel.
Check to see if you’re insured for any potential damage to your car during a road trip with the Jerry app.
Jerry
compares top car insurance companies that will work for you.1. Inspect your tires
Your tires are the only parts on your car that touch the road. That makes them your primary safety system. Check your tire pressures and adjust it to the correct spec on the driver’s door sticker. Don’t assume a tire pressure monitoring system reading is correct. Use a tire pressure gauge on the tires themselves.
If one or more tires are more than a few PSI low, have a tire shop or your dealership look them over for leaks. A flat tire is one of the worst ways to disrupt your trip.
2. Check your fluids
Low fluids are an indication that your car either needs maintenance or has a mechanical problem. Check your engine oil, transmission fluid,
brake fluid
, power steering fluid, and engine coolant to ensure they’re full and clean.If something is dirty or low, deal with it before leaving on a road trip. It might be a matter of routine servicing or a repair you didn’t know you needed.
3. Visually inspect belts and hoses
For almost all vehicles, the serpentine or V-belts operate accessories or supplementary systems like power steering, the
alternator
, and air conditioning. If a belt breaks, you could either be uncomfortable, inconvenienced, or stranded. On the other hand, hoses ensure coolant circulates properly to keep the engine in the optimal temperature range, and a leak or collapsed hose is no laughing matter. Inspect belts for cracks and check that hoses hold their shape and aren’t leaking. 4. Check the exterior lights
A car’s outside lighting is solely for safe driving. Headlights help you see, but all the other lights are to indicate your intentions to other drivers. Make sure your brake lights, signals, and marker lights all operate so other motorists can tell where you are and identify any maneuvers you’re about to make. Replace any bulbs that are burnt out.
5. Monitor for warning indicators
Are there any yellow or red
warning lights
illuminated on your dashboard? They indicate a problem with an important system, whether it’s the Check Engine light, an ABS warning light, a battery lights, or parking brake indicator. It wouldn’t be wise to take a long drive in a car that has warning lights on, especially if you don’t know what they are. At minimum, have the problem diagnosed before your trip so you know if it’s safe to drive or not.
6. Check the air filter
Your engine needs plenty of clean air to run efficiently. Before you hit the road, check the engine air filter and
replace it
if it’s dirty. You’ll get the best fuel efficiency with a clean air filter.By following the above steps, you should be prepared to take that long drive and not have to worry about your car failing halfway though.
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