Car Maintenance Before A Long Road Trip: Your Checklist

Road trips are exciting experiences that provide opportunities to visit other cities and explore unique attractions, but nothing can throw a wrench in your travel plans like car trouble. Thats why performing basic car maintenance before a long road trip is a must to keep you from getting stranded.

Fortunately, you can perform a car check before a road trip to provide peace of mind on the journey to come. Here are seven essential car maintenance checks to complete before your next road trip.

1. Check If Your Vehicle Is Due for an Oil Change

Regular oil changes are essential to your vehicle’s performance and help prevent mechanical breakdowns. One of the most critical tasks for car maintenance before a long road trip is checking if you’re due for an oil change. If you do need an oil change, you can save some time and money by taking your vehicle to Take 5!

At Take 5, we make getting an oil change fast and simple. No appointments are necessary, and you can stay in your vehicle while we change your oil in just ten minutes.

2. Top Off Your Vehicle’s Fluids

Before hitting the road, check the levels of your car’s essential fluids and top them off as necessary, including:

• Power steering fluids
• Transmission fluids
• Coolant
• Windshield washer fluids

If you visit Take 5 for an oil change before your trip, we’ll take care of your fluid top-offs and ensure your vehicle is ready to go.

3. Replace Your Air Filter If Necessary

Your engine’s air filter prevents leaves, dirt, dust, and other debris from getting sucked in. Unfortunately, a sufficiently damaged or dirty filter can harm your vehicle and cause costly repairs or unexpected breakdowns.

Take 5 is here to help. We can check your air filter during your oil change and perform a fast, affordable replacement if necessary.

4. Take a Look at Your Wiper Blades

Wiper blades help you maintain visibility while driving in rain, snow, and sleet—it’s important to check them for wear before you get on the road. Neglecting this commonly overlooked maintenance task could lead to trouble and increase the likelihood of being involved in an accident.

Windshield wiper blades need to be replaced every 6–12 months, and any wiper blades that do a lousy job wiping, chatter, streak, or make noise are overdue for replacement. Fortunately, the Take 5 team will check the condition of your wiper blades during your oil change, and we can replace your wiper blades if necessary.

5. Inspect Your Tires and Check Your Tire Pressure

Tire inflation impacts your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, and damaged or worn-down tires affect your car’s ability to stop and avoid hydroplaning. They also put you at risk for blowouts. Therefore, checking your car’s tires and tire pressure is essential for car maintenance before a long road trip. When Take 5 performs your oil change, we’ll check your tire pressure for you and perform a visual inspection to ensure your tires are ready for the road to come.

6. Ensure Your Headlights and Taillights are Working Properly

Before your trip, ensure your headlights and taillights are working correctly, and replace any dim or burned-out bulbs. Additionally, it’s a good idea to ensure your interior lights are working properly and replace any of those bulbs as necessary too.

7. Make Sure You Have Road Trip Essentials

Preparing for the unexpected provides peace of mind and will make your road trip smoother. We recommend ensuring your vehicle has these road trip essentials:

• Jumper cables
• Emergency blankets
• Cell phone charger
• Spare tire tool kit
• Flashlight
• Duct tape
• Emergency warning triangles
• First aid kit

Visit Your Local Take 5 for a Car Check Before Your Road Trip

Take 5 makes car maintenance before a long road trip effortless and affordable. So when you need an oil change, fluid top-off, air filter replacement, or wiper blade replacement, count on Take 5. Find a location near you!