Summer Driving Checks: Getting Your Car Ready for a Long Journey

Summer is when cars get worked hardest: long motorway runs, a full load of passengers and luggage, hot days sitting in holiday traffic and, for a lot of our customers, a queue for the ferry. It is also when breakdown services are busiest. A few checks before you set off will save you from being one of the statistics.

Tyres

Check pressures when the tyres are cold, and if you are carrying a full load, use the higher figure in the handbook or on the door sticker. Under-inflated tyres run hot on a long motorway run and are the most common cause of summer blowouts. Check tread depth too: the legal minimum is 1.6mm, but grip in a summer downpour drops off well before that. Look at the spare, or check the sealant kit is in date and the compressor works. A lot of people find out on the hard shoulder that they have neither.

Cooling system

Overheating is the other big one. Check the coolant level in the expansion tank with the engine cold. If it is low, something is using it, and a small leak on a hot day in traffic becomes a big problem. Look at the radiator and the front of the car for debris, and if the fan has never been heard to cut in when the car is stationary, that is worth mentioning to us. If the temperature gauge starts to climb while you are driving, turn the heater on full. It sounds mad in July, but the heater is a small radiator and it will pull heat out of the engine while you find somewhere safe to stop.

Air conditioning

If the air con is not as cold as it was, it has probably lost some of its refrigerant, which is normal over time. A regas will restore it. If it smells musty when it first comes on, the evaporator needs cleaning. Both are quick jobs and much nicer sorted before four hours on the A34.

Fluids and wipers

Top up the screen wash. Summer brings dust, pollen and insects, and a screen you cannot clear at 70mph is dangerous. Check the oil level and the brake fluid level. Replace wiper blades that smear or judder.

Battery

Batteries fail in winter, but heat is what damages them. A battery that struggled last winter and has done a summer of hot days is living on borrowed time. If the car has been slow to start, have it tested before a long trip.

Lights and load

Check every bulb, including the number plate lamps and the rear fog. If the boot is heavily loaded, your headlights will point higher than usual, so use the headlight levelling control if the car has one. Do not exceed the car's maximum weight, and remember that a roof box changes how the car handles.

Book a pre-holiday check

If you would rather have all of this checked properly, a Vehicle Health Check covers the lot and you get a report with photos. Book it a week or two before you go, so there is time to fix anything it finds.

Book online at bestgarages.co.uk or call your nearest branch: Newport on 01983 533360, Lymington on 01590 674776, or Fordingbridge on 01425 561504.