The CariCarz.com Guide To: Getting Your Car Road Trip-Ready

Are you embarking on a road trip soon? Well, here are 7 Steps for you to follow in getting your car ready for that journey!

With the festive Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays just around the corner, we’re sure many of you are set to embark on a balik kampung road trip. Well, ahead of which, this simple and easy guide ought to help you check and ready your rides for the long journey ahead.

For this guide, we’ll cover the key essentials to ensure you have safe and comfortable ride for the trip. Yes, whilst some of the things we’re about to highlight are pretty basic, sometimes a friendly reminder is just what many need to prevent any mishaps or address any underlying issues.

We’ve kept things simple through these 7 Steps. If you haven’t had a proper look at your ride recently, then these steps ought to help indeed.

1. Check The Engine’s Key Fluids

Ask yourself, when was the last time your car was properly serviced? If it has been a while, then perhaps it’s time to pop the hood and check the levels and conditions of the following essential fluids:

- Engine Oil/Lubricant
- Transmission Fluid (ATF)
- Radiator Coolant

Should any of these start to discolour or get darker, be below ‘minimum’ or safe levels, or start to thicken in viscosity, then it would be very wise to have these fluids flushed and replaced. Whilst your at it, do also check for leaks, especially in the underside of the engine.

Given our climate, and the prospect of sitting through a long crawl or cover long hours, it is essential to keep your car – and you – both lubricated and cooled, thus it’s critical to ensure these essential fluids are in good order.

Top Tip: Don’t forget to check your air-cond gas/refrigerant levels.

2. Check The Brakes

How are your brakes? Noticed any change in pedal feel, travel, and bite? Found excessive noise or vibration when applied? If you’re answer is yes to all, then you ought to service your brakes!

With your brake pads, you’d want to check for wear and remaining ‘meat’. Should the latter be lower than safe levels, replace them immediately. Whilst you’re at it, check your rotors for warping or unevenness – these might need a quick skim to fix and work effectively.

Top Tip: Check your brake fluid. If it has discoloured/darkened, or dropped in level, you’d best flush and replace or top-up. Also, check the brake lines for leaks.

3. Inspect The Tyres

Arguably a critical area of your car that should be checked more frequently. Are they not too old? Is there enough tread depth to be considered safe? Do they need rotating?

Obviously, if it has been over four years, or you notice tread depth reduced well enough that you can see an entire bottom quarter of a 20 Sen coin through the tread gap, then you’d best hurry to your nearest tyre shop for brand new replacements!

If you’re tyres are still good, then don’t forget to check and set them at the correct/recommended pressure before setting off. By the way, don’t also forget to check the condition of your spare tyre, and ensure you have all the tools necessary.

If you’re on run-flats like our Mercedes-Benz A200 tester pictured, then ensure you’ve got a run-flat repair kit ready instead. No harm preparing a spare too in case you endure a second or double puncture.

4. Test All The Lights

Yet another commonly overlooked aspect, evident by the number of cars we see on the roads daily with non-functioning lights. You’d really want all of these work on your road trip, especially if you’re performing your drive at night, or just in case of rain or fog. Here’s what’s you ought to check NOW:

Obviously, all the lights listed above as ‘CRITICAL’ ought to be in full functioning order and condition. Replace burnt-out bulbs or LEDs, check for and replace any burnt-out fuses and switches, and ensure all lenses and housings are clean and clear.

Once you address all your car’s critical lights, don’t forget the secondary lights we’ve listed above too  – you’d never know when you need them, especially in times of emergencies.

5. Inspect Your Wiper Blades

Besides high heat and humidity, there’s also the occasional thunderstorms that our climate is renowned for. This also takes a toll on your car’s wiper blades, especially if they’re made of rubber.

Check the blades for cracks or disintegration, do a dry-run and check for effectiveness using your sprinklers. Notice any slowed movement? Excess squeaking? Reduced water dispersion? Then it’s time to replace your wiper blades. If your car is equipped with one, then do the same for the rear wiper blade.

Top Tip: Don’t also forget to top-up your wiper sprinkler’s reservoir.

6. Insurance, Road Tax, and Licence

Complete Steps 1 through 5? Then congratulations, you’ve got a ride that’s now road-worthy! Well, almost. Now, all you need to make sure is that your car insurance, road tax, as well as your driver’s licence are all VALID and NOT EXPIRED!

Thankfully, we now live in an age where all of which can be purchased and renewed online – through your phone even! Just don’t forget to save digital copies – or screenshots, at least – of all in your device, and have them easily accessible for inspection.

7. Plan Your Drive

Failed to plan? Then you planned to fail. The same concept applies with any road trip, because it’s pointless if you don’t set a destination, or perhaps plan your start and arrival times at least. You’d be doing yourself some good too if you planned for any and all contingencies too.

In other words, do your homework beforehand! Study your available routes, and identify suitable stops for you to rest and refuel your car. Do this and this might save you from added stress and trouble should things go south, because it sometimes will.