We all wait for weekends eagerly, and, when it arrives we are out of our minds! Packing bags in a jiffy, loading our cars, tons of food and stuff and vrooommm…
Weekends are bliss to have in a hectic life schedule that we all possess (most of us). And there are always new places to explore with our cars. For a weekend, you might go and get a new haircut and new clothes and also try to loose some weight but have thought of caring your ride for a weekend? Well, that’s a serious thing that you might not be considering. Taking your car for a couple of hundred kilometers with loads of baggage and passenger weight on a sunny day might be enjoyable to you but it’s a hard work that your car has to perform. So preparing your car for a weekend trip might not be a bad idea before you prepare yourselves! Here are 5 effective and less time consuming points to check out and prepare your car for a long or short, both kinds of weekends.
LOOK AT HER
No, I am not telling you to look at your wife or girlfriend but what I am literally telling you is to look at your car. Look her closely. Check her out. Check each part of your car before you set up for a long ride. Start checking from upper body damages and then head towards the deep parts like the underguards, tyres and brakes.
Pop the hood and check every bit of your car properly. If you find out any visible damages, then, take your car immediately to a trained mechanic and get it fixed before tripping.
WASH HER
Washing your car may not seem fun to every petrolhead but it is a ‘must do’ task before you head out to any location. Washing here doesn’t relate to make your car shine so that people admire the beauty and shine but the real motto behind it is that it would help in finding any kinds of small damages that ever happened to your car and remained unnoticed. For example any valve leakage under the hood could be easily detected if the engine bay is clean and shining.
Try to wash the under body properly in order to keep your car rust free and damage free.
SERVICING
Well a point that was a must to write and something that you would not pay frequent attention to. Servicing is an aspect that every car owner should keep in mind and always get done over the recommended time period. Servicing keeps the health of your car up to the mark in order to smash any kind of changing terrains that your car faces during its driving cycle. Servicing includes proper health check up of all the mechanical parts of your car and also increases efficiency of your engine. Thus, leading to a hassle free ownership and a very well spent weekend.
Parts like battery, air conditioning, ECU, electronics, brakes and suspension are mandatory to be checked before any outstations trip. Always keep it in mind.
TYRE TREATMENT
What does the car run over? Road. Nopes! Car runs on tyres and you should keep them up to the mark in every sense.
Get them aligned properly and get their health checked up at regular intervals by experts. Tyres loose traction before you think and still keeping them over your cars can be fatal.
Air pressure is also an important part, keeping the accurate pressure would lead to optimum performance and efficiency over highway runs during these weekend trips. You can fill either regular air or nitrogen from your nearest gas station.
Also, always use tyres of good brands according to your type of usage. Try to get good road performing tyres if you don’t go to off roading much or vice versa.
ESSENTIALS
Never forget to take some essentials with you while traveling along some remote areas or bad terrains with low connectivity and backup. These essentials must include a first aid kit (with every possible type of pain killer and if possible oxygen mask and cylinder), torch, maps (to read the areas correctly in case your gadgets fail), GPS (to find the shortest route so that you don’t have to stop and ask), fire extinguisher, backup packed food and water bottles.
Also, always keep your close ones updated about your position as often as you can so that in case of any emergency you can be traced easily and quickly. If with family, then, do not try to explore the route less traveled or never traveled before. It is advisable to reach your destination before the night falls, so plan your time accordingly. Also fill your fuel tank up to the brim every time whenever you pull over for filling stations that might help you in stopping over less safe areas. Drive slow in towns less traveled and always keeps the original documents of your ride with you.
Keeping all the above parameters in mind and getting your car checked up and topped up perfectly, you can enjoy your weekend trips more carelessly than you do now.
[Image Source : Forbes.com, merigaadiblog.wordpress.com, jetsetter.com]