So finally we are in the summer months, this means many of you will use your cars to try and find the sun, either in other areas of the United Kingdom or maybe even abroad. Perfect time to offer our tips for long distance driving.
However long distance driving can create its own problems with your vehicle. This can be due to a variety of reasons, below are some tips from our expert mechanics that hopefully can help you to avoid any unwanted complications whilst your away enjoying your holiday.
Top Tips For Long Distance Driving
- Steve suggests that you check and service your Automatic Gearbox’s transmission fluid if required.
“A long journey with a heavy car can test your Automatic gearbox, especially if your towing. If you are due a change in transmission fluid then do it before you start the journey just to be safe. You can test the transmission oil in your Automatic Gearbox yourself if your car has a transmission dipstick, if not then this is something that we can do for you at our workshop. If you start your car and let it run for a while and then put it into park you can then test the transmission oil level. If it is not changed it can lead to slipping in between gears and eventually a loss of drive.”
- Chris proposes checking your battery before setting off.
“All you need to do is just take a look at your battery, just make sure there are no cracks or anything like that in the casing and make sure no battery acid is leaking out as well. If there are any cracks or battery acid leaking out you’ll need to replace the battery”.
- Jason Recommends simply checking the tyres of your vehicle,
” Make sure they have the right pressure and enough tread on them, and watch out for cuts in the tyres. Don’t forget the spare either, you don’t want to have a puncture and find that your spare tyre is no good either”.
- Andrew suggests that before driving a long distance you check that if your car has power steering, “if your car has power steering make sure it is working correctly”. In addition he also suggests you “take your vehicle to a garage and have them fill the hydraulic fluid reservoir if it needs doing when they service your car”
- Finally Andy proposes that your car “is serviced regularly and the brakes are in good condition”.
Following these tips for long distance driving should hopefully mean that you have no issues with your car this summer and that you can kick back, relax and enjoy your holiday!