When you travel it is helpful to make sure you have all of your maintenance done prior to the trip. I know this sounds pretty basic, but, I see a lot of people stranded because they did not check simple maintenance items before they drove off. Even if you have free towing with your insurance it still sucks to sit around waiting for a tow truck on a vacation day.
Here are a few things to always check: Air filter, oil, transmission fluid, brakes, tires. If you cannot remember when you last checked them, it is probably time to check them again. In fact, it is probably time to replace most of them before the trip. Your owners manual will give you the proper steps to check all these areas, so look it up there. Don’t have your manuals? How about a talk with your mechanic? Uh Oh! You don’t have a mechanic. That is OK. I would suggest you ask your friends who they trust and drive down to spend a few minutes with them. Any reputable shop will gladly show you how to check all this and help make sure you don’t have problems on your vacation. Depending on where you live, private shops will charge $40 to $120.00 per hour. The oil check etc. should be free but expect to pay for labor and parts that need to be replaced.
If your still checking everything over yourself, here are two higher priority problems:
First, Serpentine belts. Today, most cars have a SINGLE belt that drives EVERYTHING. Good news- only one belt to replace. BAD news- if it fails, you lose the whole enchilada!
Here is how to check your belt. Look at the belt. There are two sides: a smooth side and a ribbed side. Look at the ribbed side-the belt winds around different pulleys so you should be able to see the ribbed portion. Do you see cracks? Fraying threads? On the smooth side does it seem shiny glaze like a donut? ALL of these are BAD news. Replace the belt. Belts are fairly cheap, $40-$70 in most cases. FYI I have seen belts break and take out the idler, tensioner, fan, water pump and, once even the radiator. Turned a simple job into a multi-day multi-hundred dollar trip killer.
Second high priority item. The battery. If you travel with an electric cooler or anything else that drains the battery, inverters for DVDs, games, etc. make sure your battery terminals are clean and there is no corrosion on the wires. make VERY sure you disconnect the battery zappers when you shut the car off. On a final note, always make sure the interior lights are off so you don’t run the battery down. I once drove 75 miles to pick up a car because the woman didn’t know that her “ice-less” cooler would drain the battery!
Good luck and great travels! if you have any questions email sean@bartowing.com
Bar Towing Inc. is a roadside assistance and emergency towing company operating in Central Oregon. We have been in business since 1995. We are on the web at http://www.bartowing.com if you have any questions you would like answered, email us Sean@bartowing.com.