If you’re prepping for vacation, your to-do list might include “get car ready for road trip.” This is one of the most important tasks you can do if you’ll be driving a long distance. By ensuring your car is ready for the trip, you’ll keep your family safe and avoid the headache of a breakdown when you are hundreds or even thousands of miles from home.
Six Things to Check Before You Leave on a Road Trip
Before you hit the road, bring your car into Kernersville Auto Center. Our technicians can look at your vehicle and determine if you need any maintenance or repairs. Here are six important things we’ll check:
- Oil and other fluids: Are they at the proper levels? Do you need to change your oil or any other fluids before you leave? Even your windshield wiper fluid can be important. Imagine driving down the highway and getting splashed by a muddy truck and not having fluid to clean your windshield! We can do an oil change and check your other fluids to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.
- Tires: You won’t be going far if your tires are in poor condition. We’ll check your tire pressure, as well as your tread.
- Brakes: Tires might make your car go, but brakes make it stop, which is equally important. If they are squealing, it’s time to have a mechanic inspect your breaks. However, brakes can be in poor condition even if they aren’t noisy.
- All lights: You’ll probably notice if a headlight is out, but you may not notice if you have a tail light or other light that isn’t working. Let us check them for you.
- Air filter: If you’ll be spending a lot of time in your vehicle, you’ll want to ensure the air quality is good and you have proper air conditioning.
- Battery: Most batteries last three to five years, but sometimes batteries can give out sooner. You don’t want to find yourself without power when you’re on the road. We can test your battery to make sure it is in good condition.
We can also give your engine a full tune up and help with your state inspection if you need one!
What to do if You Need Car Repairs Before Your Road Trip
It can be stressful to need car repairs when you have a trip coming up. Here at Kernersville Auto Center, our goal is to help you get back on the road fast. We have a convenient online scheduling tool to help you make an appointment. This helps you avoid long waits at our shop. You can pick a day and time that is convenient for you!
We know that car problems can be stressful if you aren’t a mechanic. That’s why our team of experts is trained to help you understand your vehicle repair and maintenance options. We explain everything in easy-to-understand terms and outline courses of action you can take, along with costs. It’s important to us that you can make choices with confidence and know exactly how much you’ll pay for any necessary fixes.
What’s most important is that you don’t put off repairs or maintenance until you get home. It can be tempting to leave on your vacation and worry about car care later. However, if you don’t handle repairs now, you might find yourself a long way from home with a car in need of repair. It can be hard to find experienced mechanics when you don’t know the area well. Have all your vehicle needs handled before you leave so you can drive to your destination with full peace of mind.
Get Car Ready for Road Trip – Tips and FAQs
Our experienced mechanics can help with everything you need to do to check “get car ready for road trip” off your to-do list. We’re happy to talk to you about your specific vehicle maintenance needs. However, here are a few handy road trip tips and frequently asked questions to get you started:
What should I do if I break down during a road trip?
It can be a headache to have car problems during a road trip, but don’t panic. If you are in the Winston-Salem area, bring your vehicle to our shop! At Kernersville Auto Center, we provide fast service and love helping new customers who are passing through our town.
If you are instead out of town, we recommend looking at social media and customer reviews whenever possible to find a shop you can trust. When in doubt, you can always call us to speak to a qualified mechanic about your issues to ensure you’re receiving good advice. With any lucky, a nearby shop can make a quick repair and then you can bring your car into our shop for a full repair when you get home if needed.
How much will it cost to get my car ready for a road trip?
We take pride in providing fair and honest pricing no matter what kind of maintenance your car needs. Here at Kernersville Auto Center, our mechanics will never recommend maintenance you don’t actually need just to boost your bill. The cost will depend on what you actually need to have done, but we’ll give you a detailed breakdown so you can sign off before we start.
Additionally, we have a loyalty program so you can earn points for every dollar you spend, plus get free surprises throughout the year. Click here to sign up now so you can start earning points at your very next appointment. We can’t wait to help you get back on the road so you can enjoy your vacation knowing your vehicle is in great condition for the trip.
