AAA of Michigan is estimating that 1.2 MILLION of us are going to be traveling to be with friends or family over this 4th of July weekend. 

Average trip length?  617 Miles.

We’ve put together a list of things to check before your big holiday driving adventure this holiday to keep you happily motoring down the road…instead of being broken down on the side of it.

    Check your tire pressure – Properly inflated tries can save you from a blow out. 
    Make sure your spare tire is aired up and in working order in case you need it.
    Take a look at your belts – a broken belt will leave you stranded for sure.  To tell if your belts are worn simply give them a look and see if they are showing sign of cracking or fraying.
    Check Radiator – Most newer cars have 50,000 or 100,000 mile coolant, so changing it isn’t as big of an issue as simply making sure you’re coolant levels are full.  Overheating is a terrible way to spend your vacation.  If you’re car begins to overheat…Crank your heat to full with full fan. yup…it’s uncomfortable, but it will buy you time before the car boils over.
    Have an emergency kit – Keep a prepaid phone card and a prepaid debit card in your emergency kit in addition to the “standard” items like flares/triangle, flashlight, first aid kit, and tire jack.
    Take Your Account Numbers – Make sure you have your account numbers and their related phone numbers.  AAA, Auto Insurance, OnStar, or any similar service could be invaluable if you break down…but only if you have their phone number (and other required information handy)
    Take some cash! – In this world of debt cards and credit cards it’s easy to not think about having some cash on hand, but a lost credit card or…the credit card thinking your trip purchases looking “suspicious” and freezing your card can leave you in a world of hurt without cash.

If you are a user of the CarCheckup system, take a minute to check your car for Pending Trouble codes before your trip.  Pending trouble codes are the precursor to something going wrong and your check engine light coming on.  If you are a user of our system, you owe it to yourself to get a clean bill of health for your car before you go.  As we say here at CarCheckup, “Know Before You Go!”

Bonus Tip:

Do you know when to use “Max AC” on your car to cool your car the quickest while also lowering the strain on your AC?

Don’t run your AC on “Max” or “Recirculation” until your car has cooled down!  You can burn up the refrigerant or over pressurize your AC system which can destroy the system.

1. When you start your trip set the AC to high fan, no AC to get that initial blast of super hot, yucky air out of the system.
2. Once the air coming from your vents is close to the ambient air temperature outside, turn your AC onto normal or “auto” and set it to a reasonable temp.
3. Once your car has begun cooling down to the point where it’s as cool as it’s going to get on “normal” go ahead and turn it to MAX/Recirculate to bring the temp down to where your comfortable.

What other tips/ tricks do you do before you take your family on a road trip?  Let us know in the comments below!

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