Going on a Road Trip? Here’s Your Car Maintenance Checklist
Road trips should be fun, but nothing interferes with your travel plans like unexpected car problems. At a minimum, breaking down while you’re on the road involves finding a mechanic, calling a tow truck, and hoping the mechanic has the parts you need.
Knowing how to prepare your car for a road trip will give you peace of mind before you hit the road. With that in mind, here’s a road trip car maintenance list from your friends at Grease Monkey®:
Check Your Oil Levels
Checking your engine oil level should be one of the first items on your pre-road trip car maintenance checklist. Low oil levels or dirty engine oil can result in engine damage, overheating, and reduced mileage. Drop by your local Grease Monkey so we can top-off your engine oil before your trip.
If your regularly scheduled oil change is due during or just after your road trip, consider moving the service to before you leave. If you opt for the Grease Monkey full-service oil change, we’ll check many of the items on your road trip car maintenance list and ensure you have a topped-off supply of clean oil.
Inspect Your Car’s Battery
Most road trips require at least some highway driving, which involves high speeds requiring more energy than urban driving. Your battery drains faster at highway speeds, so checking the battery’s condition and its terminals is essential. Grease Monkey offers a complimentary battery inspection with our full-service oil change.
Double Check Your Car’s Belts and Hoses
Inspect all your car’s belts and hoses before the road trip, including the serpentine belt, alternator belt, coolant hoses, and fuel line hoses. Look for signs of cracking, wear, leaks, and loose connections. Grease Monkey technicians can quickly and effectively inspect your engine’s belts and hoses before your trip and suggest replacements based on damage and manufacturer recommendations.
Top Off All Your Car’s Fluids
Engine oil isn’t the only fluid on your car maintenance checklist. Before your trip, check your coolant, transmission, brake, power steering, differential, and windshield washer fluid and top-off as needed. Participating Grease Monkey service centers offer complimentary fluid top-ups for power steering and windshield washer fluid between full-service oil changes.
Replace Filters If Needed
Grease Monkey’s full-service oil change includes a new oil filter and an air filter inspection. If you’re about to embark on a road trip, you should check if you need to replace these filters and your fuel and cabin filters. Dirty filters make your engine work harder and can contribute to overheating.
Inspect Tires and Tire Tread Depth
A thorough inspection of your tires is an essential part of any car maintenance checklist. Check the tire tread depth for wear and signs of damage. Unevenly worn tire treads indicate you need to have your tires rotated, while you should replace tires with excessively worn treads.
Check Tire Pressure
While inspecting your tires, take tire pressure readings and check the results against your manufacturer’s recommendations. Grease Monkey checks and sets tire pressure with every full-service oil change.
Check Your Car’s Brakes
Have your brakes professionally inspected before a road trip. Grease Monkey’s brake service includes a free visual inspection of your brake system, including recommendations if any brake components are recommended for repair or replacement.
Check Windshield Wipers and Washer Fluid
Check your windshield wipers for signs of damage before your trip, and ensure they’re making proper contact with the windshield. Grease Monkey offers drop-in windshield wiper replacement services and free washer fluid top-offs between full-service oil changes.
Test All Your Car’s Lights
As the final step on your pre-road trip car maintenance checklist, test all your car lights to ensure they work properly. Check your manufacturer recommendations to see if it’s time to replace any lights.
Now that you know what to check on your car before a road trip, you can confidently head down the highway. Remember, Grease Monkey’s certified pit crew can help prepare your vehicle for your next adventure, so drop by one of our service centers before you head out. You can find your nearest Grease Monkey on our location page.
