With long weekends ahead, busy extracurriculars, and hockey season upon us: you’re most likely planning a road trip or two!! And while it’s easy to get focused on what to pack, what to pick up from the grocery, etc, it’s equally as important to do a check-in with your car before you clock all those miles!
We LOVE a good road trip, and like to think we’re seasoned pros by now. BUT I have to admit we aren’t always on the ball at making sure our car is as ready to hit the road as we are: which is why we’ve teamed up with Midas to share some tips on How to Prepare your Car for a Road Trip! Because trust me, we needed this check list for ourselves too!
DISCLAIMER: This post is in partnership with Midas. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting our partners that help make our content possible!
Did you know Midas is also a one-stop-shop for everything: brakes, tires, oil changes, belts and beyond??
The Midas Team is available to help answer your questions at every step in your automotive maintenance journey, so if anything in the list below is giving you some overwhelm, feel free to leave it up to the professionals and book a visit to your local Midas today!
How To Prepare Your Car For A Road Trip
- Fluid Check & Oil Change
Did you know you should change your oil roughly every six months?? This can be hard to keep track, but basically every 5000-7500 km is a good gauge. Make sure to check your transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and coolant, as well. It’s so easy to lose track of time, and forget when you had your car serviced. What I love about Midas is they provide a sticker with your date of service so you can easily reference it later removing all the guesswork of when you should come back!
- Battery Voltage
Unless you have your own equipment, you’re going to want to have this done by a professional, and if your battery is low, you’ll want to know ahead of time because it can take a few hours to fully charge.
- Brake Check
Typically, you’ll get a light notification if there’s something wrong with your brakes, it doesn’t hurt to check for yourself, or get your friends at Midas to take a look for you in a complimentary courtesy check. Especially if your trip includes some intense inclines!
- Turn Signal Lights & Headlights
Did you know you can get a ticket for burned out lights? This is a two-person job, as you’ll need to flick the lights, and ask someone else to let you know if anything is burned out/ not working properly. It’s quick, and could save you a lot of money, and hassle down the road!
- Tire Air Pressure (Including Spare)
Tire pressure is one of the most common, but also most avoidable auto maintenance issues you may face. Make sure to fill your tires according to the recommended levels in your vehicle manual. While you’re at it, don’t forget to check your spare!!! It won’t be much good to you if it’s also flat.
- Insurance Paperwork, Registration, and License
You don’t need any help with this one, but it’s important to mention nonetheless because it’s SUPER easy to forget. Before hitting the road, check to ensure that your insurance paperwork is kept somewhere obvious, and accessible to EVERYONE who will be driving the vehicle. Check the expiration date on your license and your plates. Make a note in your calendar for any renewals.
- First Aid Kit & Emergency Items
While you’re packing up everything short of the kitchen sink, don’t forget to prepare a first aid kit, or items in case of emergency. This will look different depending on the season, where you live, and where you are traveling of course, but some things you might consider are: bandages, alcohol pads, a flashlight, candles, matches, jumper cables, reflective devices, and a blanket. Pardon me while I power walk my fingers over to order some of these things right now, as we speak.
Whether you’re gearing up for hockey season [ our friends at Midas are big hockey fans 😉 ] OR simply just making a trip to see the fam: it never hurts to include a pre-season trip to Midas for a car check-up to ensure everything is in tip-top shape so everyone arrives safe and sound!!
We recently stopped into Midas, and can’t say enough about the quality of service. Allowing the professionals to do their thing really removes the guess work, and eases anxiety especially when on Aunty and Uncle duty, and we have precious cargo (our niece and nephew) in our car. Not to mention it gives us time to focus on the important stuff like creating the ULTIMATE playlist to ensure the songs pass the vibe check for the road trip!
Definitely would recommend Midas for your auto-motive service needs! Book an appointment with your local Midas today by visiting the Midas website!
xo
Kayla
*This post was sponsored by Midas however all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting our sponsors.
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