5 Ways To Prepare Your Car For Summer Road Trips

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DotComDIY #CollectiveBias

The weather has gotten warmer and school is almost out — so that means that it is summer road trip time! I am so excited about taking the boys to the amusement park, various local attractions, and even to the beach!

As a single mom, I want to make sure my car is in great condition before we hit the road. This minimizes the chances of something happening while we are away. This is why I came up with a list of 5 ways to prepare your car for summer road trips. Just a little bit of preplanning can go a long way in terms of making your trip less stressful!

Create an emergency roadside kit. It’s one of those things that you hope that you will never have to use, but it is good to have in case something unforeseen happens. Over the years I’ve experienced a flat tires, dead batteries, and a number of other roadside mishaps. Thats why it is vital to keep an emergency kit in the car. You can buy some of these kits ready-made or you can purchase the elements separately. For my kit, I included jumper cables, a tire pressure gauge, gloves, reflector triangles, and a flashlight.

Check your tire pressure. It is vital to make sure that your tires are properly inflated. Improper tire pressure can effect your cornering, braking, and stability, or in the worse case scenario tire failure. Before hitting the road, be sure to use a tire pressure gauge to check whether your tire pressure is too low or too high. You can find the recommended pressure on a sticker on the inside of your driver’s side door.

Create a first aid kit. I like to keep a first aid kit in my glove box just in case of any minor injuries. I keep some necessities such as tweezers, antiseptic, pain killers, and bandages in the kit. That way, I know that whatever happens I will be ready!

Check the fluids. It is important to make sure that your vehicle has enough fluids such as coolant, windshield washer fluid, transmission fluid, and brake fluid before you hit the road. Checking these on a regular basis will not only keep your car running well, but will also keep your repair costs down.

Change your oil. This is probably one of the most important things that you can do for your car, especially before a long trip. Keeping your car’s engine clean is vital to keeping your car running smoothly. This is why it is so important to make sure that not only are you changing your oil every 3,000 miles or every three months, but that you are also using the proper motor oil.

This is why I protect my car with Pennzoil Platinum synthetic motor oil. Pennzoil is designed for complete engine protection and will allow you to drive an extra 550 miles per year versus having a dirty engine. This oil offers the best cleanliness and protection in the Pennzoil line-up. In addition, it has PurePlus™ Technology which keeps pistons 40% cleaner. PurePlus also features a revolutionary process which converts natural gas into a 99.5% purse base oil.

What is even better is that I can purchase my Pennzoil Platinum motor oil directly from Walmart.com. By shopping at Walmart.com, it allows me to skip the lines and searching through the isles for the product that I want. Online, all I have to do is fine the product I want, purchase it online, and then have the product shipped to my home or I can even pick it up in the store. Plus, there are many niche products that are available online that aren’t available in stores.

Right now, many Pennzoil products are on Rollback for a limited time on Walmart.com so be sure to check out the special pricing while you are preparing for your next road trip.

Comment On: What is one thing that you always have to do, such as changing your oil, before a summer road trip?

Sharing is caring!