When it comes to the topic of road trip preparation, the majority of guides focus on what you should pack for the journey and how you should plan your itinerary. Even if they do speak about car preparation, they mostly suggest taking the car to a mechanic for a routine checkup, often without listing what this checkup should entail. So, in order to cover this topic once and for all, here’s what you need to do in order to prepare your car for a road trip.

1.Check your tires

The first thing on the list is your tires. The last thing you want to do is get a flat tire on the road and while you can never predict these things, there are several steps that you can take in order to minimize the likelihood of this happening. First of all, you want to keep your tires in a prime state, which is why you should replace them once every 12,000 to 15,000 miles. Also, keep in mind the fact that depending on the drive of the car (AWD, FWD or RWD), your tires won’t get worn out at an equal pace. This is why you are supposed to rotate them once every six months (approximately 3,000 to 5,000 miles). Finally, always have quality spare tires. Just remember that tires in great condition also improve your fuel efficiency.

2.Do some part replacements

The second thing you need to do is perform some part replacements. You see, there are so many parts that are inexpensive to replace but could make a world of difference on the road. For instance, if you haven’t replaced your brake pads in years, doing so would give you a large amount of comfort on the open road. Apart from this, you could also check some of the simpler parts like lights and the wipers. In order to save money, you can place orders online. Platforms like Carparts2u give you a chance to deal with this checklist with ease.

3.Check your fluids

The question of car fluids is a difficult one for two major reasons. First, it is something that you can deal with on your own, which is supposed to be a good thing but it actually makes a lot of people procrastinate on it for a lot longer than they should. Note that there’s nothing wrong about asking a mechanic to do this and you definitely shouldn’t feel guilty about doing so. As for the fluids in question, the oil, the radiator fluid, the transmission fluid, the brake fluid, the A/C coolant and the windshield washer fluid all need to be replaced at one point. It’s far safer to do so before embarking on a road trip.

4.Check the electrical system

Let’s be honest, modern cars have so many electrical parts and systems installed. Needless to say, you lack the tools to check them on your own, which is why you need to go to a professional. The state of your battery may be quite decent but just by cleaning the terminals, you will improve its efficiency by quite a bit. Replacing bulbs and fuses can also help out and you have virtually no reason to skip this simple step.

5.Get yourself a repair kit

During the packing stage, you also need to think about the on-road maintenance of your vehicle and even an eventual repair that may be necessary. For this, you need several basic items like a flashlight, an electric charger wire, a bungee cord, some pliers, a hammer, a set of screwdrivers and some jumper cables. These are items that you need to have on you even if you may still hope to never actually use them.

Keep in mind that while preparing your car is just one of the things you need to do in your overall road trip preparation, it is crucial to ensuring that your trip goes as smoothly as possible. Seeing as how it really doesn’t require too much effort, skipping this vital step is just outright reckless.