The snow has melted and the leaves are sprouting. That can only mean one thing: road trip! But what about your car? Follow our tips before you hit the road.
1. Check to see when you last had an oil change, and then check your oil level before you leave, and periodically on the road.
2. Make sure your coolant is full, and check it periodically on the road. On a Subaru, we recommend using only the Subaru coolant. We never put in coolant other than coolant from Subaru. It’s cheaper to buy the undiluted coolant and mix it yourself, but if you’re short on time the 50/50 mixture works too.
3. Make sure you have enough air in your tires. If its been over four years since you had the tires replaced, you may need to do so even if there is still tread because the rubber will crack. Many people forget to fill their spare tire, so I’d check the tire pressure of that too.
4. Take a look at your records to see when the last time you had your brakes serviced was. When its time to replace the brakes, you’ll hear a loud squealing when you brake, feel the car shudder when you brake, or not be able to stop the car as quickly.
5. Make sure all your lights are working: normal lights, brights, turn signals, taillights and brake lights.
6. Make sure you have jumper cables, a jack, some basic tools (wrenches, hammer, screwdriver), a flashlight and some rags in your trunk. It may be helpful to print off some how-to instructions for whoever is driving in case of light maintenance.
