For millions of people, the summer months represent “road trip” season. If you’re planning to take your vehicle on the road, you’ll need to make sure it is in good enough condition to handle the trip. The last thing you want is to be left stranded soon after leaving your home.

Fortunately, the time and effort required to ensure your vehicle is roadworthy is minimal. It involves several basic maintenance items, all of which are simple to check or fix. Below, I’ll provide a checklist that will help you get your car ready for the summer months.

Clean Your Battery

Even if your battery is in good condition, it may still be unable to deliver a charge effectively through its posts. This is due to corrosion. It can accumulate between the posts and the connecting clamps, hampering the connection between them. If this occurs, you may have difficulty turning your engine over.

Corrosion appears as white residue. It’s easy to remove with a special battery cleaning brush. One end of the brush fits over the terminals to scrape away the residue. The other end fits inside the clamps on the connecting cables to do the same.

Check Your Fluids

Fluids are critical to the health and longevity of important assemblies under your car’s hood. For example, your engine needs oil to lubricate its moving parts. This prevents heat from rising, and friction from causing damage. Likewise, your radiator and transmission need coolant in order for your transmission to perform properly. Coolant prevents corrosion and helps manage heat that builds around the assembly.

Bottom line: before taking your vehicle on the road, make sure your engine has plenty of oil and your radiator has plenty of coolant. If either level is low, replenish them.

Examine Your Brake Pads

Your brake pads are wearable items. They are comprised of material that presses against the rotors whenever you engage your brakes. This material creates friction against the rotors, which causes it to wear down over time. When it wears to a certain point, the pads need to be replaced.

If you’re familiar with the pads, you may be able to look through the wheels to identify their wear level. On some vehicles, it’s necessary to remove the wheels in order to check the pads. If you’d rather avoid spending the time and effort checking them yourself, ask your mechanic to inspect them.

Inspect Your Tires

Examine the tread depth of your tires to make sure they’re safe for driving on wet roads. An easy way to check the depth is to stick a penny upside down into the treads. If the top of Lincoln’s head disappears into the groove, the depth is sufficient. On the other hand, if you’re able to see Lincoln’s hairline, replace your tires before leaving on your road trip.

Also, check the pressure of your tires to make sure they are consistent with the manufacturer’s recommended psi settings. Underinflated tires create more resistance on the road, and thus lower your car’s fuel efficiency. Overinflated tires are more prone to blowouts.

Change Your Air Filter

Your car’s air filter protects your engine from dirt and debris that would otherwise damage the assembly. Over time, however, the filter accumulates so much of these elements that air cannot pass through effectively. This reduces your engine’s output.

Ideally, you should change the air filter every six months (and more often if you live in an area with a lot of dust). At a retail price below $20, changing it is one of the least expensive ways to protect your engine.

If you intend to take a road trip this summer, make sure your vehicle is in good condition before you leave. Don’t risk having your vacation cut short unexpectedly. The simple maintenance items described above will help you avoid being left stranded by the side of the road.

Author Bio: Conklin Cars, a leading provider of Wichita Kansas Chevrolet, Wichita Kansas Honda and many other Kansas cars, trucks, and SUVs. Conklin Cars can be found online at: ConklinCars.com.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: cars, automobiles, vehicles