Summer’s coming, and you know what that means, right? Road trip! This year, you’ve decided you want to explore Florida. Whether you’re going by yourself or bringing your whole family, you want to make sure your car is ready for the trip. Here are several things that you need to do to ensure that you’re not stranded on the side of the road in the Florida heat.
Make Sure Your Car Is in Good Shape
Pay attention to how your car is behaving. Do you notice that it’s vibrating? According to CarsDirect, it’s usually the fault of one of three components: universal joints (U-Joints), couplers, or carrier bearings. Don’t dismiss these vibrations as the normal operation of a car. If left unattended, it could lead to more damage, which would cost more money. You don’t want to be stuck on the side of a road in Florida on a hot summer’s day. Have your car fully inspected.
Check Your Oil
This also includes checking the oil level of your car. While modern cars can go 5,000 to 7,000 miles in between oil changes, a road trip all up and down Florida could easily reach 1,000 or more miles. Have a professional check your oil levels, and you should have it replaced at the start of the trip. That way, you can rest easy knowing that your oil is in good shape.
Check Your Tires
As we mentioned before, Florida is a long state. There’s going to be plenty of roads to cover, and your tires are going to have to be up to the task. This isn’t the time to try to get by on older tires that don’t have as much traction. You’ll be putting yourself and any passengers at risk if your tire blows out at the least opportune time. Either have them rotated or replaced before you go on the trip.
Check Your Brakes
Anything can happen when you’re out on the road. You want to make sure that you can stop instantly if the situation calls for it. Have your brakes inspected and replaced if needed so that you can feel confident while you’re driving through the state.
Check the Battery
Just like you want your engine to be properly lubricated while you’re driving, hence the oil changes, you want to make sure your battery is in good shape. While there are things that can happen, like accidentally leaving a headlight on, the Florida heat can also be hard on batteries. You can always take your car into the shop and have the experts use equipment to check the state of the battery.
Other Things to Check
You want to make sure that you have plenty of windshield wiper fluid. Florida is a humid state around this time of year, which means that there are going to be a lot of times when flash thunderstorms may show up. It wouldn’t be very fun to try to drive in heavy rain without windshield wipers. Also, check filters, since you will want to have functional air conditioning. Even trying to drive with a window down won’t be comfortable in the heat and humidity.
Despite your best preparation, let’s say that the worst-case scenario happens and your car breaks down during your road trip. Rest assured that it should be easy to find an automotive service technician or a mechanic. According to BLS, there were 782,200 of these businesses in the country as of 2022. There are a lot of cars on the road in Florida, so you should have options. It’s best to be prepared, though, and by doing the above, you can give yourself the best chance of a safe trip.
By keeping the above tips in mind, you should be able to have a safe, fun trip across Florida. Happy travels!
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