Follow this Road Trip Checklist for Car to have Best Journey

You are looking for a road trip checklist for car to prepare for a long drive? This article is absolutely what you are seeking. Check it out now!

To prepare for a road trip, it is significant to check the condition of the car on a regular basis in advance. It helps us to be assured of the stable operation of the car when driving to a far destination from home. Through this article, I want to share with you the most basic things in checking the condition of our beloved car. From these, you can better understand your car and have the most effective way to use it. Here is the fundamental road trip checklist for car to take to know the general condition of it.

1. Road trip checklist for car: Check the tires of the road trip car

The tire is one of the most important parts since it is the final point to receive the power generated by the engine. Whether the car has a stable, smooth and safe operation is due to the influence of its 4 wheels. Therefore, checking the tires is the first thing you should pay attention to. 

First of all, we will check the wear of all 4 tires. If one of them has excessive wear, the car will be prone to get problems due to the loss of traction or a tire will burst due to hitting a sharp object.

Generally, the maximum lifespan of most common tires on the market today is about 40-50,000 km, depending on the manufacturer. You should change the right tires and at the right time of "retirement" of the wheels to ensure the highest safety when operating, especially on long trips.

Next, we will check the pressure of all tires of the car. Those that are too inflated or too low all affect the performance, traction and fuel consumption of the vehicle. You can check them just by eye. If you want it to be accurate, you should buy a tire pressure gauge that plugs directly into the wheel pump nozzle. Otherwise, if you want more convenience and "technology", install it completely. A tire pressure sensor is widely available in the car market. For luxury cars, they already have a tire pressure warning sensor built into the vehicle's safety warning system. You can use this feature to easily check your tire pressure while traveling. Normally, the common tire pressure of mid-size and small-sized cars is about 2.2 - 2.5 Kg/cm2, depending on the load and the number of passengers, you can choose the suitable pressure level. 

The above is the first step to answer the question: how to prepare your car for a trip. 

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2. Road trip checklist for car: Check the lighting system

Another important task in car maintenance before a road trip is checking the lighting system. It plays a decisive role in the ability to signal as well as expand visibility when we drive at night or in bad weather conditions. Hence, it is necessary to regularly verify the lighting and signaling systems in front and behind, before going out in general and before a long trip in particular. 

If there is any abnormality in brightness or the lamp is completely "broken", we should immediately replace that light bulb without any hesitation.

3.Road trip checklist for car: Check the road trip car’s radiator

Preparing car for road trip

We all know that getting our car to a proper temperature is a must when we’re on a ride. Radiator is an important detail because it greatly affects the stability and durability of the engine when operating continuously for a long time. Without proper heat dissipation, the engine will work very "hard" and will "go down" very quickly. Therefore, before going on a long journey, answer the question: “Is the road trip ready?”, we should take time to "visit the coolant water". It's very simple. Follow these steps: open the bonnet, find the location of the cooling water tank and check whether the water level is still guaranteed or not. The best coolant level is between the 2 Full/Low bars printed on the body of the tank. If the water level is outside those 2 lines or has a different color/smell, we need to change the coolant constantly.

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4.Road trip checklist for car: Check the engine oil

Engine oil is the core factor that directly affects the stable, smooth and durable operation of the engine. The car will run extremely hard, consume a lot of fuel and can even damage the engine if anything goes wrong with it so often paying attention to the engine oil is one thing you should do.

To check the condition of the engine oil, you can find the oil dipstick (usually the yellow thing located next to the engine). Then, you pull out this stick, use a paper towel or a clean rag to wipe it from top to bottom. Next, plug into the engine and pull it out again. Finally, see if the oil level in the machine is in the range between the Max and Min lines. If it is outside those 2 lines, we must deal with it immediately by adding or withdrawing.

In addition, you should pay attention to the color and smell of the engine oil. If there is a black color or a burning smell, your engine may have some problems. In this case, we should take the car to the company's service workshop to carefully check and know the exact condition of the engine. Besides, if the increase/decrease of the oil level occurs frequently, this means that the engine oil has leaked outside or another liquid has leaked in due to an engine problem. The solution is the same as the previous one.

5.Road trip checklist for car: Check power steering fluid and brake fluid

The braking system and steering system are the parts directly related to the control and intervention of the driver when the vehicle is operating. These two parts are influential factors to ensure the ability to handle situations and ensure safety when riding. It is necessary to check the power steering oil and brake fluid carefully before going away. You can find brake fluid and power steering fluid easily right in the engine compartment. Right after that, open the lid to see if the oil level is within the allowable level. Ensuring the optimum in brake fluid and power steering fluid will make your long trip much more "peaceful".

How to prepare a car for a road trip

6.Road trip checklist for car: Check windshield washer fluid and wiper bar

The wiper system on the car seems to be something not many people care about. However, imagine during the trip, our car unfortunately gets stained on the glass or encounters a heavy rain or dense fog but the wiper system on the car is malfunctioning. Those situations will greatly affect visibility and, more broadly, affect the ability to ensure safety when traveling on the road.

First, we will check the level of glass cleaner remaining in the tank. Ordinarily, the glass cleaner tank will be located in the front, inside the engine compartment, but in some vehicles, the manufacturer places it at the back of the trunk. You should use genuine glass cleaner or suitable cleaning solution to ensure that our windshield will be cleaned in the best way. Next, we examine the two wipers located on the windshield. You should turn them on and see whether they are working properly or there are any problems. Besides, we should clean the dirt underneath the wiper blade to ensure that when wiping the wiper, these dust particles will not scratch and affect the "cleanliness" and smoothness of the glass.

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Conclusion

All the above is how we do a car check up before a road trip. You should create that habit to guarantee that your beloved car is always in a perfect condition that ensures absolute safety on every trip. We hope this Road trip Checklist for car article on Pinoy Adventurista would help you with enjoying the best journey ever!

Don’t forget to check out other topics on our website to receive more insights about traveling.

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