How To Check Your Car Before You Go On A Trip

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Before you set out to go on a road trip, it is always a good idea for you to look at the systems of your car that tend to have problems and that are the easiest for you to troubleshoot on your own. By taking a few moments to thoroughly go over your car, you can save yourself the trouble of ending up broken down on the side of the road or needing to have repairs taken care of while you are in the middle of a trip. This article will cover the basic areas of concern you should go over before you take off.

Check all of your fluids

The very first thing you should do is to make sure you check all of the fluid levels in the car. Check the fluids while your car is parked on even ground so you know that you are reading them correctly. If you are low on fluids, try looking at the motor around that area for signs of leaks and if you see oil on the motor then you may want to take the car in to have the leak fixed.

Check to make sure the brakes are good

You want to verify that your brakes feel good when you step on them. If they sink a little too low to the ground then they need to be bled to get air out of the line. If they make a squeak or they have a grinding sound or feel to them then they need to be replaced.

Look at your tires

Make sure all four of your tires are still in good shape. They need to be free of bald areas, bubbles, wire showing through in any area of the tire and have enough tread still left on them. You can check the tread by putting a penny in-between the tread. Put the penny in upside down, so the president's head goes in first. If the tread on the tires still goes all the way up to the president's head, then they are fine. If not, then you may want to replace your tires with new ones.

Check on the transmission

Before you go on your trip, take the car at some different speeds. You want the car to shift gears smoothly. If it feels as if the car jolts forward, sticks in gear or has any other type of odd feeling when it should be shifting, then you may want to take it in and have the transmission looked at before your trip.

Following the advice you have read here will help to ensure that you don't find yourself dealing with car problems instead of enjoying your trip. Visit an auto shop like S & A Transmission if you have any concerns.

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12 February 2016

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