Preparation is key to a road trip success

Holy Week is coming, and with it annual summer sojourns back home, or to discover new places with family, friends and loved ones. Popular destinations include Baguio, Tagaytay, and for some wet and wild fun, Boracay, Batangas, Puerto Galera and CamSur in the Bicol Region.

But are we prepared to undertake another summer adventure road trip?

Aside from the obvious itinerary preparations, have we prepared ourselves, or more specifically, our vehicles, for this long trip?

The reason I pose this question is that everyone is super-busy rushing work, finishing deadlines and trying to accomplish as much as two weeks’ worth of work in a single week. This week is crucial as most people will take the entire of Holy Week as one long vacation leave.

So, the first order of business is to book your car for servicing and check-up, follow the recommended PMS schedule and check old parts such as belts, tires and others for wear and possible replacement. It sucks to be stranded in the middle of nowhere fast on Holy Week because emergency roadside assistance is sparse and difficult at best.

Next, have your car’s wheel alignment checked. Usually, this is the only time your car’s tires and the underside get a thorough check. Change the tires as needed, check the shocks if they are leaking, check the brakes for pad thickness and rotor wear and also for brake fluid leaks. While we’re on the subject, check and change your brake fluid. If it is anything less than crystal clear (except for brake fluids that are of a specific color when new), change them, as you never know when hard braking will save your life, and the life of someone else.

After the underside, check the rest of your car’s fluids for freshness and if they are filled to the proper maximum levels. Engine oil, regardless of color, should not be sludging up and solidifying. Particularly, check underneath the oil cap. If oil is sludging/solidifying underneath the oil cap, you need to change your oil pronto. Oils, such as Motul, Liqui-Moly, Royal Purple, Castrol and HKS, have special summer promos with their partner retail establishments so it’s worth having it changed now.

ATF and power steering systems that use ATF should also be similar in consistency and color to engine oils. More importantly, it should not smell badly burnt or very thin in viscosity. If these are, change them and top up as needed. Regular power steering fluid, like clutch and brake fluid, should, as mentioned, be crystal clear. If they are turning golden-brown or even black, change them. The dark color indicates impurities trapped in the hydraulic fluids and can damage oil and fluid seals.

A perennial summer incident involving cars is overheating so, flush out your coolant, replace with distilled water and coolant, ideally between 60:40 to 80:20 mix, with distilled water getting the majority of the fill. Replace your radiator cap with the right one, check and change your coolant hoses and clamps, and clean the surface area of your radiator while you’re at it. Lastly, have an electrician check the condition of the fans for the radiator and A/C condenser, which you should also clean along with the radiator. Service your A/C system as it can get really hot during summer, particularly when traffic is backed up all the way to the next town so you’ll be in for a long ride. The last thing you want is you, or your car, or worse, both, overheating in one long bumper-to-bumper traffic jam.

Now that your car is more or less road-worthy, check for the smaller things: your lights, if they are all functioning properly, and your horn. Believe me, driving around without a horn is like walking around naked. Also make sure that your tools are complete and intact, have rags, gloves and a mat to work on the car, a liter of new oil, 5-liter bottle of distilled water (for the car and you when either overheat), towing cables, a powerful flashlight, a pair of red and yellow reflective early warning devices, a jack, and make sure your spare tire is inflated properly.

The Land Transportation Office has been stricter nowadays with its “no plates, no travel” and “no updated registration, no travel” policies. Make sure your vehicle has license plates before traveling, and the registration is updated. Then bring a copy of your OR/CR paperwork, as well as insurance policy papers with you in the car.

Other small things? A map or a portable SATNAV system. Most Apple and Android devices have a map and/or SATNAV-GPS application, very handy on long drives. And it makes things more interesting when you want to try a different route but fear getting lost.

Preparation is key to success, and a road trip is no different. Hopefully, we can inculcate this proactive attitude toward car maintenance and preparedness to the motoring public, rather than the haphazard, lackadaisical attitude on maintenance and car preparation.

Have fun and drive safe!