Road Trip Countdown – Getting Your Car Road Trip Ready

Preparing your car for the many miles and variable conditions of a long term road trip is one of the most important steps you can take to help insure that your travels go smoothly.  Yet time after time people wait until the last minute before bringing their vehicle to the mechanics’ for a quick general inspection.  Then they are either outraged, shocked or both when the mechanic tells them that they would be crazy to take their car on a trip in its current condition.  At best, they end up spending a few hundred dollars on car repairs that they forgot to budget for.  At worst their entire trip could be delayed, or altogether scrapped, because they forgot to think ahead.

So if you’re thinking about heading out on the open road, and you plan on driving your car, here are a few things that you should take care of before hitting the highway.

Find A Reputable Mechanic:

One of the biggest mistakes that I’ve made in my past when it comes to car maintenance is not researching the mechanic thoroughly enough.  You absolutely need to invest some time into finding a reputable mechanic or auto repair shop.  What do I mean by reputable mechanic?  Ideally, this is someone who is referred to you by a close friend or family member and whose honesty, integrity and technical skills are of the highest standards.  When you first speak with them be sure to mention that you were referred by one of their previous customers.  This will help to further cement the environment of honesty and integrity into place, because most business people want to do a good job for their word of mouth clientele, as they are their strongest supporters.

The General Inspection:

Unless you happen to know exactly what is wrong with your car and how it should be fixed you will want to start with the general inspection.  The general inspection is a standard maintenance procedure that is to a car what the general physical exam is to a person.  Basically a good mechanic will go over your car from bumper to bumper and inspect all of the major components and systems that comprise it.  Then they will usually create a checklist of items and issues that need attention.  A good mechanic will prioritize this list so that it’s easy for you to make decisions as to what you want fixed and when.

Remember, you never have to get your car fixed at the same shop that did the general inspection.  I made this mistake once and it ended up costing me several hundred dollars in avoidable fees because the mechanics that I had taken my car to were dishonest.  Just because they have gone over your car doesn’t mean they are the ones to fix it.  You can always take your car somewhere else.  Yes, you might have to pay to have another general inspection done, but if the repairs that were quoted to you at the previous shop are expensive you will most likely save money in the end.

Do The Math:

After the mechanic has gone over your car and presented you with a prioritized list of things that need to be done ask them to write down what the cost of just the parts would be.  Then have them write down just the price of the labor.  Call around and find out how their prices compare to other mechanics in your area.  This is where having the time to make an informed decision can really save you money.  The people that rush into a shop in a panic because their trip starts the next day seldom give themselves the luxury of having a day or two to explore their options.  Your options in a situation like this are:

• You can buy the parts yourself (some people’s jobs even have built in discounts at certain auto parts shops, so ask around)
• You can call another mechanic and find out how much their labor and parts will cost – see if they can beat the price
• If the repairs are minor you can buy the parts and do them yourselves
• You can go ahead and have the mechanic fix your car with their parts

No matter what you decide, giving yourself the time to think things through is going to be the best tactic; in terms of saving you money and stress.

Find Alternative Transportation:

Once you have your prioritized list and you have decided on a course of action it’s time to get a’fixen.  If you have two cars figure out who is going to be driving who around.  If you only have one car, plan how you are going to get around town before you start working on your car.

Create An Emergency Road Kit:

While you are getting your car fixed up use the time to assemble an emergency road kit.  You can find all of the information you need on assembling an emergency road kit here.

It’s also a great idea to brush up on some of your basic car maintenance and repair skills before you hit the road.  Practice changing the oil and other fluids in your car yourself.  Don’t know how?  You can find a great series of basic car maintenance tutorials here, here, and here.  Never changed a tire before?  You don’t want to have to learn in the middle of the desert.  Same goes for putting on and taking off chains.  The better you are at this kind of basic maintenance the less stressed out you will be when things go wrong out on the road.

Conclusion:

On a road trip your car is your home.  Even if you aren’t sleeping in it, if your vehicle stops working, or is having problems, it will seriously take away from your enjoyment of your trip.  Make the right choice and invest the time and money in order to get your automobile in proper road trip condition.  It may seem like a lot of hassle now, but when you are cruising down some old country road, with the sun shining in the sky, windows down, wind blowing through your hair and your favorite song playing through your speakers, everything will be forgotten.

The only things that will matter then are your thoughts, those next to you, and the road stretching on forever, like some meandering lazy river.

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