Apr 29, 2021
Road trips can be great fun, but they do test your car and the last thing you want to have is a broken down vehicle miles away from home. Whether you’re planning on travelling around the UK or going on a family holiday to France, you need to prepare your car for travelling a long distance. Here at MyCarNeedsA.com, we have put together a few tips on how you can do this to ensure you have a relaxing holiday!
One of the first things you want to do before setting out on the road is to check your insurance policy to make sure you are fully covered. As well as that, you might also want someone else to take over the driving for a period of time, meaning you will need to take temporary cover for the other driver. You can get temporary insurance for motorhomes or cars for 1 day or 30 days, depending on how long you need it.
You will also need to check if you are ensured to drive abroad and that you have all the necessary documents for the country you plan on visiting.
An essential check for any long journey is performing a simple inspection of all the fluid levels to ensure your vehicle is running smoothly and reliably. Checking the fluids is a quick and easy job to do and any driver can do it, even if you don’t know the first thing about cars. Here are the fluids you want to check:
● Windscreen washer fluid
● Engine oil
● Coolant
● Brake fluid
If you’re heading out on the road, it’s always good to pack an emergency kit containing things like a first aid kit, essential medicines for any passengers as well as paracetamol or ibuprofen, perishable snacks, a flashlight and a breakdown kit.
As a car owner, it’s important you check your lights on the regular, but for a long journey especially to help you avoid potential accidents. You can use a friend or family member to help you with this, turn all the lights and signals on in the car and have them walk around the vehicle to ensure they are working as expected.
One of the most important checks will be for your car’s tyre pressure and you can find the recommended pressure in your car’s manual. Make sure the tyres are in good condition, that they have sufficient tread (1.6mm in the UK is the legal minimum requirement), and that there are no bulges, nails or flat spots.
Even if you and your vehicle are prepared for the road ahead, accidents and breakdowns can still happen so it might be worth making sure you’ve got breakdown cover before setting off.
If you’re planning a road trip and don’t feel confident performing the necessary checks yourself, why not get a local mechanic to do it for you? Get quotes from garages in your area with MyCarNeedsA.com today! Get your quotes!
