Prepare For A Long Distance Trip In Your Car
ShareIf you are going to be taking a long-distance trip, take extra precautions to ensure your car is better prepared for the trip. You'll also want to follow some extra tips to make sure you'll be fine should you break down on the side of the road on a hot summer day. Remember, should you end up not being able to get help nearby, tow trucks are always a great option.
Have your car maintained
Before you hit the road, take the car in for any maintenance things it's almost due for including oil changes, tune-ups, tire rotation and balancing, fluid checks, and more. You also want to have your air conditioning system and/or heater is serviced. The mechanic will check to verify there aren't any leaks in the AC and heater system, and be sure you have the proper amount of Freon in the system, which is needed to run the AC properly.
Prepare the car for a safer trip
Verify you have a good spare tire in the car, and you have everything else needed to change a tire including a jack, a lug wrench, and the hub cap key if your car requires one. Put jumper cables and a battery charger in the trunk. Keep in mind, even a tow truck driver is going to have a hard time changing your tire if you need a hub key and you don't have one. If you can't find yours, get a replacement before your trip.
Carry spare chargers and consider purchasing a cheap pay as you go phone to have in case something should happen to your phone. If you need to call a tow truck or someone else for help, you don't want to be stuck without a phone.
Put a couple of gallons of water in the trunk in case the car overheats. Also, put a gallon per person in the trunk for everyone to drink if you break down.
Have your cracked windshield replaced
If you have a crack in your windshield, then you are at risk of a bad situation. When you are traveling, the pressure of the wind on the highways puts the crack at risk of expanding. Plus, the crack can spread under certain conditions. Plus, the crack can end up impairing some of your vision depending on where it is on the windshield. You are also at risk of being pulled over and given a ticket when you have a damaged windshield and some states are stricter than others. This is something to think about because some states may have very large fines for damaged windshields. Contact a windshield replacement service for more information.