At least a week before taking a trip in your Subaru or any other car for that matter, you should make sure it’s ready to take you to your destination and more importantly, back.
Here are some things that should be inspected before you go.
Oil level and condition, if the trip is a thousand miles long and the oil will become due to change during the trip, change it before you go.
Coolant level, condition and boil protection. That’s right anti-freeze is also anti-boil and if your car doesn’t have the proper mix you are taking a big chance on a summer trip. Included in this in inspection should be a check of the belts and hoses.
Tires, tires, tires and tires. The condition of all of your tires including, the spare need to be looked at before you depart. Also tires have a DOT code that also gives the date the tires were produced. Check this date and if your tires are older than 5 years you may want to consider replacing them. Tires that are old have a greater chance of coming apart at high speeds on the freeway when they are hot.
It is just not enough to make sure the tires are properly inflated and have good tread life.
Brakes should be inspected and serviced if needed.
The drive train, steering and suspension should be inspected as well.
All of the remaining fluids and filters should be serviced or replaced as needed.
The lights should all be checked especially the license plate bulbs that are almost always out with you realizing it.
Having a good emergency kit in your car that includes jumper cables, flares, first aid, flashlight and a basic set of tools is also highly recommended as well.
While there is no guarantee that something wont happen with your car on a trip, the above steps can go a long way to preventing it.
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