How to Know if Your Car Can Make a Long Trip
Maintenance
10 essential checks before a long car journey
With the right training, long machine journeys can be something to expect forward to. Here's our guide to making long trips every bit enjoyable and stress-free as possible.
Whether it's to visit relatives, proceed vacation or travel for work, a long car journey is something many of us exercise regularly. As with well-nigh things, preparation is the cardinal to making certain that everything goes smoothly.
Here are our pinnacle 10 pre-journey checks to help you drive more than safely, avoid unnecessary breakdowns and make that long trip a picayune scrap easier and a lot more enjoyable.
1. Tyre pressures
The correct tyre pressure is essential to making sure that your car can restriction, grip and steer properly. Even one over- or under-inflated tyre tin have a big impact on how your car drives.
Many mod cars feature a tyre pressure level monitoring organisation that alerts you if the pressure is wrong. If your car doesn't have this, use a tyre pressure approximate (these are inexpensive and widely available) to bank check the level before you set off on a long journeying. You lot can notice the right tyre pressure for your machine in your handbook and normally on a panel just within the driver's door. Topping upwardly with more than air at your local garage is easy, with most pumps allowing you to set the required pressure level start.
2. Windscreen wipers and screenwash
Driving with a dirty or smeared windscreen is frustrating and can also be dangerous. Check your windscreen wipers for article of clothing and supplant them if needed. Don't forget to also brand sure your screenwash is topped up sufficiently so you lot can go on your windscreen clean throughout the journey. Don't forget that this tin can be as much of a problem in summertime as in wintertime, every bit squashed bugs and pollen tin can brand a real mess of your view.
Also look out for whatsoever chips or cracks in your windscreen. If you discover one, you should get it fixed as shortly as possible. Small, easily repaired flaws can grow apace into large problems if ignored.
iii. Oil Level
Oil is absolutely vital in keeping your car'southward engine running smoothly. Running out could cause costly harm and go out you stranded – which is the final thing you want when yous're a long style from home!
Traditionally, every car came with a dipstick to allow you to check the oil level yourself. Many modern cars no longer accept dipsticks, but instead utilize the car's computer to monitor the oil level and display information technology on the dashboard. You should check your motorcar's handbook to see if this is the case. If your motorcar doesn't automatically alert you when your oil is low, apply a dipstick to check that it hasn't gone below the minimum level and top it upwardly before your drive. Be conscientious not to put in too much oil either, since that's also not skillful for the engine.
4. Lights
Fully functioning lights are essential for safe travel, not but so you can see clearly but also so that other road users can see you and know your intentions. Before a long journey is a practiced time to check your headlights, indicators and brake lights.
Y'all'll demand a helper for this since y'all can't see any problems from inside the car. Have the helper stand up at the front of the automobile while you turn on each of the lights in succession – primary axle headlights, dipped beam and indicators. And so have them stand behind the car while you use the brakes and select contrary gear (with your pes on the clutch if it'southward a manual) to check the brake lights and reversing low-cal. You might be able to replace any faulty bulbs yourself merely it's more likely to be a quick, low-cost task at a garage.
v. Engine coolant
Coolant keeps your car's engine salubrious by regulating the temperature of the cooling arrangement. Many newer cars take a closed cooling arrangement so do non demand topping upward.
With older cars you lot may need to bank check the level yourself and top information technology up if necessary. You lot can meet the fluid level in a reservoir in the engine bay. If information technology'due south close to, or beneath, the marker for the minimum level, you'll need to peak it up.
six. Tyre tread depth
Worn tyres can seriously touch on your machine'south handling, braking and safety as a whole. Before a long journey, check that your tyre treads have a minimum depth of 1.6mm across the central three quarters using a measuring gauge. If your tread is between ane.6mm and 3mm, consider replacing your tyres earlier your trip.
Every Cazoo automobile is checked to brand sure its tyres have a minimum tread depth of 2.5mm across at to the lowest degree 80% of the tyres' width. This is well above the legal limit of 1.6mm. You can read more than about Cazoo car quality here.
7. Fuel level
Most people are keen to get on the road and make practiced progress, but filling upward with a tank of fuel at or near the beginning of your journeying could salve you fourth dimension (and reduce stress) afterwards on. Knowing that yous've got a full tank gives y'all peace of mind and could cease you having to drive around an unfamiliar location towards the stop of your journey, desperately hunting for a fuel station.
If you have a plug-in hybrid or electric auto, make sure it's fully charged before setting off. Some likewise permit you to prepare a timer to pre-cool or pre-estrus the car while it's charging. Information technology's worth doing this because it reduces the amount of battery power you lot use once you showtime moving.
eight. Emergency supplies
Pack anything that may be useful in an emergency if you lot were to break downwardly. A red warning triangle is highly recommended in club to alert other drivers of your presence and it's e'er worth keeping some spare clothes and snacks in the car in example you become stuck somewhere for a while. If you're driving in Europe you may need to pack a few other items: For case, you are required by French constabulary to have two alert triangles, a reflective jacket and a first aid kit in your motorcar when driving in French republic.
9. Driving mode
Many newer cars offer a range of driving modes that let you to modify the engine, braking and sometimes even suspension settings to accommodate dissimilar needs. For a long journey, you might want to select an 'eco' driving manner to help you get more than miles per gallon (or accuse), for case, or a 'comfort' fashion to make the trip as relaxing every bit possible.
10. Have your machine serviced regularly
The all-time way to brand sure your car is ready for a long journey is by having information technology regularly serviced. That fashion you know yous've done everything you can to keep it running efficiently and safely. Many cars will remind you with a message on the dashboard when a service is due. If in doubt, check your car's handbook or service tape to run across when its next service is due.
If yous want to be certain that your automobile is in its all-time possible shape, you can have a safety bank check carried out on your car for free at a Cazoo Service Heart. Cazoo Service Centres offer a full range of servicing, with a three-calendar month or 3,000-mile warranty on whatsoever piece of work we do. To request a booking, only choose your nearest Cazoo Service Heart and enter your car registration number.
If you're considering upgrading your car to get better fuel economy, a more enjoyable driving experience or a more comfortable ride on long journeys, use our search role to find one you love, buy it online and and then take information technology delivered to your door or choose to collect it from your nearest Cazoo Customer Centre.
We're constantly updating and adding to our stock. If you can't find one inside your budget today, cheque dorsum soon to see what'south available or set upward a stock alarm to be the offset to know when we accept whatever cars that lucifer your needs.
Source: https://www.cazoo.co.uk/the-view/maintenance/10-checks-before-long-car-journey/
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