Get your car ready for road trip season

Friday, 18 December 2020

Holidaymakers are being warned to have backup plans if they're not able to return home during the summer break because of Covid-19.

It’s summer and that means one thing. Road trip season. As you cross off the cricket sets, togs and jandals from your packing checklist, why not add a vehicle-related boxes to tick?

Tyres

Check tyre pressures, and don’t forget to also check the spare. Under-inflated tyres use more fuel and therefore cost more money.

It’s road trip season, which means your car should be as safe as possible.

You can quickly measure tyre tread by using a 20c piece; measuring from the bottom of the coin to the ‘20’ or writing edge is approximately 2mm. If you have this depth of tread you are within the guidelines, but you’ll need to get them replaced soon, as 1.5mm is the minimum legal depth to pass a Warrant of Fitness. Cracked tyres also typically won’t pass a WoF.

**READ MORE:

Tyres are the main thing keeping you on the road, so don’t neglect them.

* Why having old tyres on your car is a risk

* Warrant of Fitness fails: five basic checks you can do yourself

* Over-50s leave youngsters stranded on basic car maintenance

Ensuring your windscreen is clean is easy – just clean it. Don’t forget your mirrors and wiper blades too.

* Road Safety Week tips with Greg Murphy: keep your car properly maintained

Run your hand around the circumference of the tyre to check for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. If unsure, consult a tyre professional to help ease your mind - you may even need a wheel alignment and balance if you’ve not had one in the last 12 months.

There's also the potential for ‘summer ice’ which is when rain falls on dry roads, bringing dust and grime to the surface and making the tarmac much more slippery than it looks.

Basically – make sure your tyres are fairly new with good tread and no cracks.

Checking lights, tyres and wheel bearings also extends to trailers, boats and caravans.

Vision

Clean all glass, including your mirrors. Ensure your wiper blades are in good condition. Also make sure your windscreen washer fluid is topped up and fresh detergent has been added.

Lights

It might be tempting to push your speed above the limit but lower speed tolerances over summer means more chance of a ticket.

Walk around the outside of your car to check all your lights are working and all lenses are clean.

Cooling system

If you have to regularly top up your car’s cooling system, get it seen to before hitting the road. Things will only get worse if you don’t. From experience, it's not worth the “she’ll be right” attitude. Especially if the problem lies with the water pump and your car is from the late 1990s with the pump located behind the cam belt, making it a massive pain in the arse to replace, but only after it bleeds gross rusty water all over your mate's driveway.

Sorry. Anyway, if your car has it, check your air conditioning system is it still able to cool your vehicle down.

Towing

Trailers, boats and caravans aren’t normally used as frequently as vehicles, and things can deteriorate while they’re not being used. Always check the wheel bearings of your trailer or caravan to make sure they’re not loose or noisy, and make sure you’re carrying a spare tyre for them. Also ensure that all lights and indicators are operating correctly.

Service

Check the engine oil level and top it up if required before heading off on a long road trip. If the distance you’ll cover on your road trip will take you into your next service interval, arrange to have your vehicle serviced before you head off.

Also check your WoF will remain current for your journey. Dig out any past service or WoF notes that you may need to attend to this time; problems tend to get worse over time not better.

Speed

Over the summer months, the open road speed tolerances drop to 104kmh in an effort to reduce the road toll. Most modern cars overestimate their speeds, meaning the speedo might read 100kmh but you're actually moving at around 97kmh. That said, it’s still better to set cruise control (via the computer or your right foot) to 100kmh to really make sure you're not speeding. You won’t get to the bach any sooner by driving faster, despite the wording, and a speeding fine is just going to spoil the holidays.