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Prepare? |
Preparation is the key. For a successful road
trip you must prepare. This is our guide to
getting it right and having a trouble free
journey. Most of it is common sense, however
these things can easily get forgotten about but
can cause a bit of a headache further down the
line.
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Plan
your route? |
Ensure you plan your route carefully. Nowadays
people generally use satellite navigation to
direct them, although it is always good practice
to take a plan B; a road atlas. Couple the road
atlas with some printed directions and you can't
go wrong, even if you don't have sat nav.
Satellite
Navigation
These
little portable 'screen with a voice' is great
for anyone who travels often. The more modern
models are very user friendly and can come with
a host of additional features. Prices are very competitive;
if you often drive to places you don't know very
well, they are a must have. Visit Amazon.co.uk/Sat_Nav/
for all the latest deals on Sat Nav systems.
Map
& Directions
"Old
ways are always best" is what my mother
says. She's also concerned that even if she
worked out how to use a Sat Nav, she would end
up in a river to which I said "If you drive
into a river, that would be your own
fault". Anyway, log onto Amazon.co.uk/Road_Atlas/
and buy yourself a road atlas at a bargain
price. Then check out the free route finder
service from either the AA, Green Flag, or the
RAC. This is the cheaper alternative to a sat
nav for those folks who don't drive often,
although you do need to have some map reading
ability - it helps to have the map the correct
way up.
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Basic
under the bonnet checks |
Before you set off on your journey make sure you
check the essentials under the bonnet. This is
really easy to and you're only checking what you
would normally keep an eye on anyway. When going
on a long journey most people occupy themselves
with other issues and often overlook this,
sometimes to the detriment of the long and
tedious car journey. The areas under under the
bonnet for you to look for will normally have a
yellow top, but if you're not really sure take
it to a garage and they can check, but they will
charge! Here's a list of what you should check:
- Fuel
- this may seem obvious, but 47% of drivers
have admitted to having broke down due to
having ran out of petrol. By filling up
before you start the journey, not only do
you significantly reduce the risk of adding
your name to this embarrassing statistic,
but you can also avoid paying over the odds
for petrol at the side of the motorway. If
you're travel to Europe be aware that fuel
types differ, you will need to check what
type of fuel you need to be using in each
country before you go.
- Oil
- Just because the oil light isn't on in
your car, doesn't mean the oil level is
okay. When the lights on it's too late
anyway. Besides if you're on a long journey
the last thing you want to be doing is
hunting down a retailer who sells engine oil
which is compatible with your car. There are
different types of oil, and different cars
use different ones.
- Screenwash
- You will mostly need you use your
windscreen washers at some point, regardless
of the weather, be it spray from wet roads
drying on your windscreen, or dead flies.
Not only is it dangerous to drive without
screen wash in your car, it's illegal.
- Anti-freeze/coolant
- Make sure you're radiator has sufficient
water and anti-freeze/coolant. Failure to
have the correct amount can cause serious
damage to your radiator. If your radiators
broken then your engine will overheat and
could catch fire.
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Check
your tyres |
Check the tread on your tyres to make sure they
are legal. Worn away tread is dangerous as your
tyres wont stick to the road as they should,
especially if there is any moisture on the road.
We all know that tyres are expensive to replace,
however if you get caught by the police with
treads below the legal requirement you risk a
fine of £2,500 per tyre, plus you'll need buy
new tyres on top of that.
Tread depth
isn't the only thing that you'll need to check,
the tyre pressure is also important. If your
tyres are under inflated then your petrol
consumption will increase, and you will have
uneven wear on your treads, meaning your tyres
wont last as long as they should. If you over
inflate your tyres you increase the risk of a
blow out, and again you will have uneven wear.
It's free at
most garages to fill your tyres up. Read your
car manual to check what pressure you should
have your tyres at, this info is also normally
printed on the inside of the petrol cap or on
one of the front doors.
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Emergency
supplies |
Be sure to carry the following necessity's, you
never know when you'll need them;
- Blanket
- Reflective
Jacket
- Torch
- Water
- Petrol Can
- Warning
Triangle
- Road map
- Change (for a
phone box or unexpected toll booths)
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Repairs
& servicing |
If your car is on the verge of needing repairs,
or there's a little something that you've been
meaning to get checked out, do it before you set
off! Otherwise that little something can become
a big something. |
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