Summer Road Trip Checklist

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Summer is a great time to be taking a road trip! School is out, the weather is nice and the days are long. That makes summer a great time to get behind the wheel and explore some of the amazing scenery our country has to offer. If you need some help finding the right journey, check out this article with 10 of the best summer road trip destinations in the country.

Before you grab your toothbrush and hit the open road, it’s important to make sure your vehicle is up to the task of all those miles. Long road trips are actually relatively easy miles on your vehicle, however, breakdowns can be even more frustrating and costly since you’re in an unknown area and could be a significant distance from help. Not only that but who wants to spend their road trip riding shotgun in a tow truck or enjoying the view from the waiting room of a garage.

Before you leave, go through this road trip checklist with your vehicle to make sure it’s as ready as you are!

Tires
Coolant
Engine Oil
Transmission Fluid
Wiper Fluid
Tune up

Getting a flat tire on your trip can be an expensive detour and will often require a tow and a long wait until the tire shop is open. Before you leave, check your tires for wear making sure you have proper tread (at least 3/32 of an inch). This will keep you from hydroplaning in the rain and make sure you don’t have to buy tires during your trip. You can also look for odd tread wear patterns to see if your car may need an alignment or if you’ve got worn suspension components. Don’t forget to check the air pressure in your tires (including the spare!) before you leave.

Next, check your coolant level. Long periods of driving will require your cooling system to be in top working order to avoid overheating. Check the coolant level in your radiator’s overflow tank. If you find a low coolant level top off your system with the manufacture’s recommended coolant and check for leaks. If you find a leak, consider adding the correct BlueDevil leak stop product for the leaking component, like BlueDevil Radiator and Block Sealer.

Next, check your engine oil. If your estimated road trip mileage will put you past due for an oil change, consider getting an oil change before you leave. Even if you don’t need an oil change, it’s important to check your engine oil level. For a long trip, it’s important to have your engine oil topped off. If you discover a low oil level, check for leaks. If you discover new or old leaks, use BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak to seal the leak while you’re driving on your road trip.

Similarly, check your transmission fluid. A low transmission fluid level will always be due to a leak, so if you find a low level, add BlueDevil Transmission Seal and top off your transmission with the correct type of transmission fluid recommended in your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

While you’re checking fluid levels in your vehicle, don’t forget to check your windshield washer fluid level. On long trips you’ll need to clean your windshield often especially as you travel through dusty areas of our country. If your windshield washer fluid reservoir is low, use BlueDevil Washer Concentrate to refill your reservoir.

Lastly, since you’ll be putting so many miles on it’s important to make sure your engine is operating at peak efficiency to get you the best gas mileage and save wear and tear. If it has been a while since your vehicle has had a tune up, you may consider doing that. This can include replacing fuel and engine air filters, the cabin air filter, replacing spark plugs and performing fuel system cleaning. These jobs are usually easy jobs you can do yourself, especially the fuel system cleaning. Using BlueDevil Fuel System Cleaner before you leave can help make sure your engine is operating at peak efficiency and ready for the road.

Going through this summer road trip checklist will help make sure your journey is one to remember, and BlueDevil is here to help! You can find any BlueDevil product at http://store.gobdp.com/products/ or at any of our partnering local auto parts stores like: