Trips are so much fun, we all need a little rest and relaxation sometimes and getting in the car and hitting the road just hits the spot. That being said, there are some things to check on your car before a trip that are crucial. Making sure you take the time to get your car checked can prevent wrecks, can help you ensure your car is safe, and can also help you be safe when you get out on the road.

Check Your Documents

This is something that many people forget when they are thinking of things to check on your car before a trip. You need a few pertinent documents before you head out on a trip in your car and they are your license and registration and your auto insurance. This is going to help you ensure that if you are in an accident or you are pulled over, you have the proper identification to prove that you own the vehicle and that you are in the right.

If you do not have your insurance documents, you can always get copies from insurance agencies or you can get a copy emailed to you so that you can print it out and have it on hand. It is very important to have the correct documents on hand so that if you are pulled over, if you are in an accident, or if any other issue pops up, you are able to present the right information to get the problem taken care of.

Brakes

One of the most important things to check on your car before a trip are your brakes. Brakes can go out in a heartbeat, they can fail when it is too wet outside, when there are difficult road conditions, and they can age with use. Brakes work with via a clamp that is called the caliper and a drum that is called the rotor. The caliper is connected to the brake pedal and the brake lines of the car, when you press down on the brake pedal, the caliper clamps down on the rotor.

When a caliper clamps down on the rotor, the brake pad is also going to get clamped down on. If you do not get your brake pads changed out regularly, it can warp the rotor. When a rotor is warped, it doe make it more dangerous to drive and it does make it harder for the car to stop when you need it to. This can cause car accidents very easily that can lead to serious injury and the need for personal injury lawyers. Most auto repair shops can quickly and easily check your brakes and ensure that they are in good working order.

Tires

Among the things to check on your car before a trip, your tires are also very important. Tires are responsible for giving you traction on the road when you are driving. If you are driving and the road is wet or slippery, tires that do not have enough tread are not going to have enough traction to stop you. Your tires are going to wear down as you drive and they are naturally going to get smoother and smoother. If this happens, you do need to get your car checked out and make sure that you have a good set of tires on the vehicle before you take off.

You can get car loans for a bit more than you need if you are buying the car new to help pay for repairs like putting new tires on the vehicle. It is important that if your tires are bald or if they are slicker than they should be, that you get them changed out so that you can be certain your car is always going to have enough traction. Another issue with older tires is that they can dry rot, they can blow out, and if the metal bands inside are showing, they can blow out very easily.

Oil and Transmission Fluid

Another one of the things to check on your car before a trip is your oil and your transmission fluid. The oil in your engine works to help lubricate the engine and make sure that the moving parts of the engine do not grind against one another and cause metal shavings to come off. You should be changing your oil every 3,000 miles or three months for a typical oil change, or every 5,000 miles or five months for a high mileage, full synthetic oil change.

Oil changes are perhaps the most important service that you can have for your car. You will find that any auto dealer is going to make sure that they are changing the oil in the cars that they are selling to make sure that they are going to run properly. If you are not able to get any other performance car tuning, your oil change is the most important thing to keep in mind.

Your transmission is also important. The transmission helps the engine shift up and down gears to respond to what you are asking the car to do. If you press on the gas pedal for instance when you are going up a hill, the transmission will help to shift the car up in gears to help pull the car up the hill at the speed that you want. This is one of the things to check on your car before a trip to make sure that your transmission has enough fluid and that it is the correct viscosity, age, and more.

If your transmission fluid is old, it can be thicker than it should be, it can have metal shavings from the transmission moving, and it can have dirt as well. You should make sure that you are getting your vehicle checked to make certain that the transmission is clean and that the transmission fluid is clean as well.

Tune Up and Basic Care

Still another of the things to check on your car before a trip is basic tune up and basic care issues for your vehicle. This means having spark plugs checked, belts, the gas tank, gauges, and even the computer of the car if it is a newer car. This is going to help you ensure that if there are any issues, that you do take the time to get them repaired and taken care of before you leave on a trip. Though there are places that you can get cash for vehicles if it breaks down when you are traveling, no one wants to deal with that.

If there are issues, it is very important that you get them taken care of before you leave so that you do not have to track down used Dodge Ram parts for sale or any other make and model while you are on the road. Taking care of issues before you leave can help you be certain that your vehicle is going to run well, that you are going to where you need to go, and that you are going to be safe as well.

It is always best to get problems taken care of quickly and when you are going over things to check on your car before a trip, there may be more problems that you might not be aware of. Getting belts that drive the engine replaced, getting your filters changed out if needed, and making sure that fluids are topped off can help your car not only be safer, it can also help you get better gas mileage and help you save while on the road.

The Battery

Another of the things to check on your car before a trip is a battery. The battery is somewhat like the brain of the vehicle. If the battery goes bad, your vehicle is not going to start or run properly. It is so important to take the time to make sure that your battery is new enough, that it is charged, that there are no issues with it and that the battery posts are in good shape as well.

The battery is one of the most common parts of a vehicle to go bad or to stop working and making sure that it is in good shape, and that it is going to be able to keep your car running well. If the battery is bad, if it is going bad, or even if it is simply not in as great of shape as it could be, it can stop working properly and it can even fail to start your car or to keep it running.

Lights and Wipers

Still another of the things to check on your car before a trip is your lights and your wipers. Lights are a very important part of any vehicle. Without them you are not going to be able to see well at night, to see well in inclement weather, and you can even get a ticket for not having proper lights. This does not mean just your headlights, but also your tail lights, your blinkers and even your emergency lights.

This is a very simple fix, bulbs and having them replaced is very fast, simple and not super expensive. This can be done at most oil change places and you may even be able to do it yourself if you know how to. Your lights are a necessary part of your vehicle, you do have to make sure that they are in working order so that you can make certain your car is going to be safe.

You also need to get wipers changed out if they are old or if they are not in great shape. Wipers are going to help you to make sure your windshield is clear and clean and that you can see well. Wipers are also a very inexpensive and very easy fix that only takes a few dollars and a few minutes to change out. You need to make sure your wiper blades and lights are changed and working well before any trip, especially those in which you may be driving in the dark or inclement weather.

Why is Checking Your Car Before a Trip So Important?

There are a few reasons that checking your car before a trip is important. For starters, it is far easier to take care of problems when you are at home rather than trying to handle them when you are away from home and away from the familiar. Taking care of problems, even when they are small, is going to help ensure your car is safe for you, for your passengers, and for other drivers as well.

It is also going to help ensure that your vehicle is going to get you where you want to go. A vehicle that is well cared for is going to get you further, it is going to help ensure that you are safe and that there are no problems, and it is also going to ensure that no further damage is done to your vehicle. If you drive a car that has problems, the more you drive it, the worse the issues are going to get.

Taking care of problems quickly is going to help cut costs, make sure your vehicle is going to keep driving and that you are going to get the most out of your investment. No one wants to pay a great deal of money for a vehicle to have it break down. Taking care of your vehicle is going to ensure that every time you get in your vehicle, it is going to take you where you need to go and do so in a way that is safe and efficient.