Road Trip Ready: Essential car care tips for summer travel

With summer approaching, more Statesboro residents are making plans for a summer vacation. You’ve booked your hotels, packed your bags, worked out your schedule, and bought your tickets. You’ve prepared everything, right? You might be surprised to realize you’d forgotten one very important thing.

Before you race to head out on the long road, it might be time to take your car to your local auto technician for a checkup. The last thing you want while enjoying your vacation is car troubles.

AC

With the summer heat baking everything outside, your AC dying could be catastrophic to your enjoyment of your trip. Can you imagine spending hours in a hot car as you drive to your destination? Or worse, wasting precious hours of your vacation looking for a mechanic to fix it?

Having your AC checked before you head out can help you detect any problems that might arise on the road. It might be possible that your AC is low on refrigerant or that your filter needs to be replaced, especially if you’ve been struggling to cool your car.

Tires 

Coming out of winter, the air pressure in your tires might be lower than recommended. Not only can a flat tire lead to dangerous wear and tear, but it will cost you on your gas bill. Lower tire pressure significantly reduces your mileage. While you’re checking your tire pressure, it can’t hurt to check the tread depth, too! It could be time to rotate your tires to avoid uneven wear before you head on the road. 

Engine

With summer temperatures only rising, you need to keep your engine from overheating. Thankfully, your engine has a system to keep it cool. However, this system needs to be in top condition to cool properly. A number of factors could lead to your engine overheating, such as a broken belt, a cracked hose, or low or leaking coolant. 

An automotive technician can examine your engine for damaged parts and ensure that any important fluids are topped up. Even without damage, your engine can’t keep cool if the level of coolant is low. 

Brakes

No matter how early you leave, you’re likely to be stuck in traffic at least once during your road trip. You need to trust that your brakes are reliable during that stop-and-go traffic. Over time, your brake pads will wear out, and worn brake pads reduce the efficacy of your breaking. A technician can examine your brakes to determine if your brake pads need replacement as well as any other issues that might affect the safety of your travel.

Oil Change

After 5,000 miles, it’s important that you change your oil! If you’re going to be driving a significant distance, why not prepare ahead and make sure your oil is free of contaminants? Even if you might not have driven much during winter, changing your oil during summer can help protect your engine from the increase in stress and heat due to high temperatures. 

Alignment

If you want to remain safe, it’s important to have your vehicle’s alignment checked. Misalignment can cause issues such as your car pulling to one side, your wheel vibrating, or the wheel struggling to remain centered even when driving straight. While misalignment can be caused over time, it can also be caused by driving on rough roads, which may have been the case during the winter months.

Don’t Let the Summer Heat Beat You! Call D & R Car Care

Before you head out for some summer fun, call a trusted automotive shop to make sure your car’s ready to support you throughout your vacation. At D & R Car Care, we’ve worked with all types of cars—from domestic, Asian, and European models. When you schedule your vehicle maintenance and repair, our professionals will ensure your vehicle is road ready.

Since 2000, we’ve been serving the Bulloch County and surrounding areas. We believe in “Service the right way, the first time”. Call D & R Car Care at 912-871-4111 for any car maintenance and repairs before your summer fun. We are located next to Georgia Southern University at 811 South Main Street, Statesboro, GA, making it convenient for both students and locals.