Getting Your Vehicle Road Trip Ready

One of the great things about living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest is the endless road trip possibilities that are waiting at the end of the driveway. If you feel like getting out and exploring the world, you have plenty to pick from in this part of the world – and you won’t even need to drive that far to find something incredible.

As road trip season nears, take some time to care for your vehicle and get it ready for these adventures. A good starting point would be to bring it in to Taylor & Sons Chevrolet for a basic service visit as soon as possible. With service checked off your to-do list, you can get down to work on planning your next road trip getaway with family or friends. Have fun out there!

Clean It Out
Road trips have a way of filling your car up with junk. Along the road, you’ll inevitably pick up some snacks, souvenirs, and random other items that just cause your vehicle to get more and more crowded as you go. You might not be able to avoid this outcome on your next road trip, but you can get a head start by cleaning it out properly before you leave.

For starters, simply take everything out of your vehicle – and we mean everything. Make organized piles of what was in your car at the start of this exercise and then you can gradually start to put things back as you go. There will be some things that obviously need to go back in, like documentation and some safety supplies, but other things will likely get left behind in the interest of saving space. Also, while the vehicle is emptied out, vacuum up the carpets and wipe down the hard surfaces to get it as clean as you can. Few things feel nicer at the start of a long road trip than leaving in a clean, comfortable vehicle.

Get Up to Date on Service
If there are any routine service visits coming up for your vehicle, make it a point to have them performed before you go on your road trip. Even if the actual date for the service hasn’t quite arrived, or if you haven’t reached the recommended mileage, consider moving this up on your calendar just to get it done ahead of time. You’ll be racking up the miles on your road trip, so get ahead of the service visit game instead of blowing past that milestone while out on vacation.

Of course, you’ll want to take your vehicle to a trusted service department in the area, and that means stopping by Taylor & Sons Chevrolet at your convenience. We would be happy to help you decide what services need to be performed now and we’ll check out your vehicle to see if any other repairs are in order. If possible, get your service visit scheduled at least a week or two before you are supposed to leave so you don’t add any stress to the process by trying to squeeze this in at the last minute.

Are Your Tires Ready?
You’ll want to head out onto the open road with tires that are up for the challenge. If this is a summer road trip and you don’t expect to encounter any wild weather conditions, a standard set of all-season tires should be an appropriate pick. Of course, those tires should be in good condition and have plenty of tread left to grip the road. Also, be sure you have a spare onboard and check to make sure that spare is in good condition, as well.

If you need to replace your tires before your road trip, do so with enough time to spare that you’ll be able to break in the tires before setting off. You don’t really want to head immediately out of town on a long road trip on brand new tires, just in case any issues come up. By having the new tires put on a couple of weeks or more in advance, you can use them for day-to-day outings and see how things go. Then, you’ll feel a lot more confident when leaving for your road trip, knowing your tires are up to the task.

Shopping for Accessories
While not necessary in most cases, you might want to think about shopping for some road trip accessories that you can add to your vehicle. Some of the many possible ideas out there include the following –
• Power bank. You’ll probably rely on your phone quite a bit during your travels, and it’s easy to burn through your battery while using GPS, making calls, watching videos, etc. Picking up a power bank that you can keep in your car is a great way to have a mobile power source available that you can lean on when your devices start to dip into the red.
• Seatback organizer. While this is an accessory commonly used by parents to keep track of all the stuff their kids need for a road trip, you don’t have to be a mom or dad to put it to good use. Strap it over the back of one of the front seats and suddenly you’ll have plenty of storage space available for all sorts of small items.
• Phone mount. Driving safely means keeping your hands off your phone while on the road, but you still may want to use that phone for directions or even to play music. With a mount in your vehicle that will hold your phone nicely in place as you travel, you can keep it out of your hands but still harness the many functions that it offers to make your trip more enjoyable.

Serving the Ponderay and Sandpoint areas for years, Taylor & Sons Chevrolet is a trusted name in the community, and we will be happy to get your vehicle ready for road trips or whatever else might be on your agenda. Give us a call today to schedule your appointment. Thank you for your time!

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