Recommendations On Preparing Your Car For Summer Travel

Spring is the ideal time to get your car ready for the busy summer driving season ahead. It's advisable to have your vehicle tested before summer's intense vacation traffic and stop-and-go conditions begin earnestly.

The experts at the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence offer the guidelines below on preparing your car:

* Look at the owner's manual and keep up to the suggested service schedules. Watch out "regular" vs. "severe" schedules listed, and determine which is appropriate for your driving conditions and practice.

* Try to find a methodical repair facility with modern equipment in the service bays and certified automotive technicians being workers, as shown by trade school diplomas, certificates of advanced course work and training, as well as national certification of the individual technicians by ASE.

* Wash out and fill up the cooling system (radiator) as indicated in the service manual's recommendations. The level, condition and strength of the coolant should be checked at regular intervals. Make sure the engine has cooled down before taking off the radiator cap. Engine overheating is the most frequent summer breakdown.

* Have engine performance problems corrected, such as hard starts, harsh idling and stalling. You'll get improved gasoline mileage, and you could put off more expensive repairs.

* Don't overlook your transmission and brakes. Expensive repairs can be avoided by routine service. Neglected brakes can create safety issues, too.

* Seek out an experienced auto technician to test the condition of belts, clamps and hoses, but be precautionary by looking for signs of wear, cracking or fraying.

* Have a marginally running air conditioner system checked by a technician qualified to deal with refrigerants. Older units often contain ozone-depleting chemicals that could be released into the air through inappropriate or incompetent service.

* Replace the oil and oil filter as detailed in the owner's manual. This simple, inexpensive service can boost the life of your vehicle.

* Change other filters (air, fuel, PCV) as suggested in the service manual.

* Check the condition of tires, including the spare. Let the tires "cool down" before checking their pressure. Uneven wear, "cupping", vibrations or "pulling" to one side implies difficulties with your tires or suspension system.

* Exchange your headlights with some good aftermarket headlights. Good custom headlights or even just a nice new series of H11 bulbs for your normal lights will make a vast difference when you're traveling at night. Very rarely do you realize how dim your headlights are until you upgrade. It is likely that the winter road grim has ruined your lenses to the point where they actually need to be replaced.

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