Top 10 Things to Check in your Car/SUV before you Start on a Road Trip.

Top 10 Things to Check in your Car/SUV before you Start on a Road Trip.

Before you start on a road trip it is always better that your motto should be to reach your destination safely rather than how fast you were able to make it.

With that out of the way, here are the top 10 things that require mandatory checking before you start:

1. General Condition: It is advisable to get your car serviced before you start on a journey. See that the service centre changes your engine oil, filters, air filters, fuel filters, spark plugs, etc.

Note: While water washing the engine compartment, do not use excess of water spray. New age vehicles include a lot of electrical wirings, and any excess water getting into it can cause unnecessary headaches in the midst of the journey.

2. Fan Belt: Change your fan belt if your car has done more than 20,000kms. This is a precaution worth its while. Also check your idlers for noise & roughness. If you feel that it is rough, change it.

Note: In the earlier generation cars, the engines were fitted in the North South direction (some of the present day SUV’s still follow this practise), and for such cars changing fan belt is easy. But present day cars including hatchbacks and most of the sedans (except Merc’s & BMW’s) use East West mounting of the engine (mounted along the width of the car). Hence changing belts in the middle of the highway can pose to be a difficulty. You can always keep the old belts as spare in your dickey.

3. Headlight Bulbs: The standard bulbs issued by most of the manufacturers are 55/60 watts bulb. Majority of us (90%) change it to a 90/100 watts bulb. This puts extra load on the battery / alternator etc. Most of the factory fitted bulb holders are made of plastic & this will melt over a period of time. Check if there is any damage to the bulb holder & change it to ceramic holders if it is damaged. It is always advisable to carry a spare set of bulbs in case of an emergency.

4. Tyres and tubes: The most ignored part of our car is the tyres. Actually tyres play an important part in the car as it gives traction and grip while accelerating, cruising and braking. Many of us think that if we can see the buttons on the tyres they are okay to drive.

Note: The tyres are normally good for 5 years from the date of manufacture. After that, if you observe carefully, you can spot minor cracks on the side wall. It does not matter even if your car has done minimal mileage leaving lots of buttons on the tyres. It is both advisable and safe to change your tyres. If your tyre is of the tubeless variety check for the trueness or wobble of the rim and for rusting. If you find any defect as mentioned, use tubes inside your tyre. If your tyre is of the tube type make sure you change your front tyre tube if it is more than 2 years old & always go for Butyl Tubes.

While changing tyres may burn a hole in your pocket, I always suggest a change of tyres in the interest of safety. This is because many of us drive above 100km/hr in 4 lane highways. Chances of blowout are more if it is an old tyre.

5. Wipers:  Always change your wiper blades if it is more than 1 year old, even if it looks good on the outside. Older blades generally get harder with age and can rub your glass harder and scratch it. New ones will be softer & provide much better cleaning of your windshield.

6. Brakes: Always check your brakes before you start on a journey. This is even more important if you are planning a journey to a hill station.

Listed below are a few conditions that indicate that your brakes are not fine.

a.     Hard brakes: Check your Brake booster if your car is equipped with one (or) check your wheel cylinder pistons which will be slow to move within the wheel cylinder. If is so, change your wheel cylinders in the rear. For front brakes overhaul the calliper kit assembly.

b.     Brake pedal going deep inside: Check your master cylinder and if found defective, change it.

c.      Vehicle taking more time to stop: If all the systems are fine and still the vehicle is taking more time to stop, the possible cause might be glazed brakes. In that case changes the brake shoes in the rear & brake pads for the front discs.

d.     Spongy brakes: Bleed the system & if it still doesn’t improve, flush the oil and put in new oil.

e.     Vehicle pulling to one side: When you hit the brakes if it pulls to one side check front brake hose for blockage & jammed front brakes. change if necessary.

 7.  Wheel Alignment:  Check your wheel alignment and get it aligned by a proper garage. Also balance all your wheels.

 Note: When you’re going on long journey, if do not align the wheels properly it can cause rapid chewing of your tyres. As far as balancing is concerned if is not balanced properly you will experience vibration in your steering wheel above 80 km/hr.

 8. Checking the Ball Joints:  Put your car in ramp or jack and move your wheels to and fro. If there is a side shake check your tie rod ends. If there is an up and down shake check your wheel bearing. If you hear a cut cut noise when you go over pot holes check your lower ball joint & anti roll bar bush.

9. Air:   If the distance covered is large please add an extra 2 pounds of air in your tyres.  This will prevent your tyres from getting punctured easily.

10. Batteries & Alternator:  In the past batteries used to come in hard rubber (Black containers) & they used to be heavy. The present generation batteries are normally called PP Batteries which stand for Plastic container batteries. Present generation batteries are use & throw variety and they cannot be repaired. Normally a good battery will last for 2 to 3 years. Check for voltage. It should not drop less than 10 volts when you are cranking the engine. Also check for swelling of the battery. If you find any of the symptoms, change the batteries.

Also check your charging system. Switch on electrical loads in the car & check the battery voltage when the engine is running .It should not drop below 13 volts when idling and not more than 14 volts when the engine is running on full RPM . When it shows low reading it will discharge your battery & going more will damage your battery. If you find any defect overhaul you alternator.

Bonus points:

a. Take all the documents of your vehicle & your license.

b. Take good rest before you start on a journey

c. Wear seat belts.

Bon voyage! Have a happy and safe journey with Your loved ones!