During the summer, you are likely do a lot more driving than you do during the other three seasons. Due to the nice warm weather, many people get out of their house more during the summer. Most students from all age levels are out of school. Additionally, many families will take their vacations during the summer.
Many people will do a fairly significant amount of traveling this summer, whether that be for a vacation, road trip, or business venture. With all of this additional traveling, coupled with the intense weather associated with summer throughout most of the country, maintaining a healthy vehicle is very important.
Many people resort to taking their vehicles to the garage for periodic check-ups, inspections, or when “something sounds weird.” However, there are a few steps you can take on your own to ensure you have an enjoyable summer traveling in your vehicle.
Change your oil
One of the sometimes overlooked steps during the summer months is making sure that a vehicle’s engine oil is not old, and performing at the optimal level. When a vehicle’s engine is low on oil, or running on old oil, it causes the engine to work harder. This is especially troublesome during weather extremes.
The simple remedy for this is to do a complete oil change, including the installation of a new oil filter. This can be done in less than an hour at home for fairly cheap. Changing the oil benefits the vehicle immensely, and is smart to do before significant traveling.
Maintain fluid levels
In order to promote engine health, and maintain a safe and functional summer of travel, it is important to assure that all fluid levels under the hood are optimal. Drivers will want to make sure that their coolant is kept at the proper level. This will ensure that the engine functions well, even under the extreme heat that summer sometimes brings.
Keep your tires filled
Tire pressure plays an important part when traveling. Proper inflation of the vehicle’s tires will assure that the vehicle drives the way it was designed to. When tires are underinflated, they pose a hazard, especially on a very long trip.
All of these tips are easy to accomplish at home and don’t require the aid of a mechanic. While not the sole steps to take when preparing for a season of travel, these steps can be done at home and will assuredly help you have a safer and more productive and better driving summer.
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