If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to go on a long haul drive, then you need to do more than pack your car and set off on your way. No, you need to check your car is up to the task before you even reverse off of your driveway. For advice on what to check on your car before you take it on a long drive, and how to check them, make sure to read on.
Coolant and antifreeze
Checking your vehicle’s coolant and antifreeze levels before you go on a long drive is of the utmost importance, especially in the winter, so you must do it!
To do so, you should check to see whether or not the coolant/antifreeze liquid in your car’s radiator reaches the ‘full’ line in the bottle that holds it — you should do this rather than opening the cap on the radiator. If this ‘full’ line isn’t reached, you should then fill the bottle with a mixture of equal parts water and coolant. And, if you find the coolant in your bottle has a sludgy and oily look about it, then you should refer your car to a professional mechanic.
Windscreen wipers and screen wash
Your windscreen is one of the most important factors of your car for one big and obvious reason: without it you wouldn’t be able to see the road ahead of you. So, you need to show your windscreen some love before you take off on your big drive. More to the point, you need to help your windscreen do its job of helping you see the road by ensuring it will be kept clean and clear for your whole drive. This means checking your windscreen wipers are working correctly so as to ensure they will be able to wipe any heavy rai fall that you pass through as you drive from place to place; the most important thing that should do when checking your windscreen wipers is to ensure they leave no blurry marks on the windscreen when in use. And this means ensuring your screen wash is topped up and plentiful so that it can clean your window whenever it is dirtied for your whole journey.
Tyres
Your car’s tyres are just as important a feature as its windscreen, and thus they deserve some love and attention before a long drive too. And, you need to show them some love and attention before you set off because they can get you into a lot of trouble when on the roads if they blow out or lose grip.
First of all, you should check that they are inflated to their correct pressure level. To do this you should pump your tyres up using a correctly working pup, and you should then use a pressure gauge to see if they have been pumped up the required level given in your vehicle’s manual. What you should also do is ensure your tyre’s thread measures up to the required 1.6mm.
By not doing these things you could find yourself being flagged down by an officer as you cruise along the highway, and you could then find yourself being charged with huge fines and even find your license being taken from you. Or, you could find something worse happens: you could hurt yourself or a fellow road user.
Engine oil
To get you from A to B to Z and back again, your car’s engine simply must be working efficiently. And to make sure your engine is working efficiently, it must be well lubricated. And, to make sure your engine is well lubricated, its oil must be checked regularly to ensure that it is doing its lubricating job. So, check your car’s engine oil regularly and ensure it reaches its recommended level at all times.
Well, you should do this if you don’t want to have to get a quote in regards to scrapping your car. Not checking your oil levels can result in your engine giving way, and if that were to happen, not only would you not be able to go on your proposed long drive, but you wouldn’t be able to drive anywhere at all.
The most important thing that you should remember to do when checking your car prior to a long drive, however, is check your car’s manual. This is because each car is different. Each different car has different demands when it comes to its different features, especially when it comes to oil and tyres. One form of action may work for your neighbour’s car, but it won’t work for yours. So, do what your car needs! Oh, and make sure to take a breakdown survival kit with you on your long journey because even if you do do all the checks above on your car, you simply never truly know what might happen.
