Is Your Car Prophylactic For The Vacation Travel?

Photos courtesy of Ford Press

Whether y'all invention on visiting your mother in law inwards Bicol or exactly desire to receive got unopen to R&R inwards Baguio, your motorcar needs to live on upwards to the task. Imagine what would ambit if it wasn’t. Likely, you’ll uncovering yourself stuck past times the side of a deserted road; or worse, live on towed away past times the highway patrol. Imagine the stress, helplessness as well as agony.

You receive got to receive got matters into your ain hands. If you’re planning on taking a route trip this Christmas season, brand for sure y'all render your motorcar alongside unopen to basic maintenance.

Let’s start past times listing the parts inwards your motorcar that y'all should banking corporation check to ensure everything’s inwards working order. Note that piece y'all may live on able to verify unopen to of these on your own, for the most part, you’ll receive got to rely on a competent mechanic.

Fluids

If a motorcar were a living organism, thus its fluids would live on its lifeblood. You must brand for sure that there’s ever plenty juice inwards every constituent thus that the motorcar tin constituent flawlessly. Take banking corporation annotation non to overfill these fluids as they’re as harmful as having lilliputian or no fluids at all. If y'all intend of running alongside a leaky hose, amend receive got it checked as well as repaired get-go earlier zooming off to the provinces. Be aware also that unopen to of these items also receive got filters that demand to live on examined.

Engine oil
Transmission crude oil (for automatic transmission models)
Gasoline
Radiator fluid/coolant
Brake fluid
Windshield washer fluid
Power steering fluid

With the exception of gasoline as well as windshield washer fluid, these fluids must live on periodically checked when your vehicle goes inwards for its periodic maintenance service or PMS. Check alongside your owner’s manual as to the recommended interval of each PMS.

Hoses as well as Belts

If the fluids are the lifeblood of your car, thus the hoses as well as belts are its connective joints. If there’s a unloose connection, y'all powerfulness uncovering yourself hitchhiking earlier y'all know it. Make for sure all hoses as well as belts are tightly secured. For example, alongside the engine cold, give the engine belt a tug to brand for sure there’s non much gratuitous play or movement. Check past times experience if at that spot are whatever cracks or abnormal apparel as well.

Tires

Whatever your car, live on it a lowly household unit of measurement sedan or a high-performance sports car, it’s connected to the pavement alone through a few square-centimeters of rubber. It’s extremely of import to banking corporation check for tread depth to ensure adequate traction. Some tires render apparel indicators, thus banking corporation check them to brand for sure y'all however receive got plenty depth. If your tires don’t receive got tread indicators, y'all tin utilisation a five-peso coin. Simply pose the money heads downwards inwards the tread as well as brand for sure that it covers a constituent of Aguinaldo’s hair. If it doesn’t, thus your tread is also shallow.

You may also desire to banking corporation check your bicycle alignment as well as balancing as well. Not alone volition this give y'all fifty-fifty apparel on your tires, but ensures that y'all receive got a safe treatment car.

Lastly, banking corporation check your tire pressure. The give away on the tire’s sidewall is the maximum pull per unit of measurement area it tin withstand, non the recommended amount. The recommended tire pull per unit of measurement area is unremarkably located on the driver’s door; for some, inwards the glove compartment, middle console or gasoline tank. Or when inwards doubt, banking corporation check the owner’s manual for details on your car’s recommended tire pressure. And don’t forget the paramount spare tire, exactly inwards case.

Lights

Check the headlights, blinkers, tail lights as well as fifty-fifty the interior lighting. Faulty lights tin live on real unsafe as other motorists volition receive got a hard fourth dimension gauging their distance from y'all on the road. If the bulbs appear to live on inwards skillful condition, banking corporation check your car’s fuses too. You may receive got blown ane or two. This tin potentially quest unopen to kind of electrical problem.

Glass as well as Mirrors

Driving a motorcar requires constant attention, keeping your eyes peeled for obstacles as well as other traffic. In monastic state to create this correctly, brand for sure that all your windows are clean, the mirrors are correctly angled as well as don’t forget to install novel wiper blades when they’re worn or cracked. If your motorcar comes alongside a defogger, banking corporation check if it functions properly. It should come upwards inwards handy when going to colder places similar Sagada or Baguio.

Brakes

The car’s brakes are its get-go business of defense forcefulness when it comes to safety. Most brake pads nowadays come upwards alongside a apparel indicator (they emit a squealing audio if they’re worn), but larn inwards a dot to acquit a through inspection. Check that the brake pedal feels right. If it feels also hard or soft, it powerfulness live on the sign of something abnormal.

Air Filter

An engine needs air to operate. The air filter keeps the improper particles from entering, but, alongside time, it gets dirty, becoming less effective. Check it regularly, but most particularly earlier going on a lengthy route trip.

Battery

While it’s truthful that the to a greater extent than y'all drive, the to a greater extent than your battery gets charged. But if the battery reached the halt of its natural life, y'all volition receive got difficulty starting your car, particularly on mutual depression temperature mornings. The final thing y'all demand is having to jumpstart the motorcar every unmarried hateful solar daytime inwards the middle of nowhere. While you’re at it, brand for sure that the electrical as well as ignition systems are skillful too.

Air Conditioner

If your car’s AC is as breezy as a dog’s breath, don’t waste matter whatever fourth dimension as well as receive got a professional person hold off into it. Your route trip’s supposed to live on a vacation, non a foray into a sauna or steamship boiler room.

What to Bring

Once you’re for sure that your automobile is inwards flawless condition, stock it alongside unopen to items that’ll brand your life easier piece on the road, as good as render y'all alongside unopen to peace of mind.

Towing/Car Club Membership. They toll less than a M pesos a year, as well as yet, provides y'all alongside an fantabulous back-up invention inwards representative something does ambit to your car. Automobile guild memberships similar AAP is a cost-effective agency to osculation your worries goodbye.

A fully-charged mobile phone. Not alone perfect for sending lovey-dovey messages every morning, a jail cellular telephone phone is a must when your motorcar breaks downwards inwards the middle of nowhere. Remember though, you’re non supposed to chat alongside buddies piece you’re behind the wheel.

Extra fuses, H2O as well as oil. Sometimes problem springs upwards without warning—even if y'all receive got the necessary precautions. Blown fuses, leaky radiators are mutual causes of tribulations, thus create for the worst past times taking along extra fuses addition a quart of motor crude oil as well as most ii liters of potable (drinkable) water.

Emergency tool kit. Again, inwards the spirit of taking precautions, having a tool kit inwards your motorcar alongside all the essential tools tin avoid foreseeable troubles. Your kit should comprise the tool kit provided alongside the motorcar (tire wrench as well as jack, screwdrivers, pliers) addition jumper cables, a utility knife, a flashlight, tire see or sealant as well as duct tape.

It ever pays to follow a checklist such as this earlier heading out to the opened upwards road. Not alone volition y'all drive away without fright or having your opor-garai hampered past times a prolonged see to a seedy auto repair show, but the money y'all pose into these precautionary measures volition salvage y'all big bucks inwards the long run. So, drive on as well as live on safe!