Ruben Fidalgo
April 4, 2023
Easter is just around the corner, but you still have time to check the car and leave everything in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. Just as we check that we put a series of essential things in the suitcase, we must make sure that some elements of the car are ready to go on a trip. Let’s see which ones.
The car is one of the great protagonists of Holy Week, since it is the means of transport chosen by the majority to travel during this festive period. In fact, on these dates the largest number of road journeys throughout the year is concentrated and, by the way, also the most desperate traffic jams for drivers, with long queues at the entrances and exits of the big cities. If there is something that can frustrate your Easter trip more than a big traffic jam, it is that the car leaves you stranded. To prevent this from happening It is essential to check some elements of the carnot only those that have to do with the state of your mechanics, but also the legal ones to avoid fines and inconveniences, especially if we are going abroad.
It may interest you: How to avoid breakdowns due to short trips at Easter
Below we propose a list of elements that you should check before leaving on your trip this Easter and we do it in a specific order. The first thing is to check those elements that, if out of order, will force us to go to a workshop, for which we must anticipate sufficiently. Below are the things that we can easily do the day before the trip.
ITV up to date
1 photos
Circulating with an expired ITV is a reason for an economic sanction, although they do not withdraw points from the card. As Easter varies its position in the calendar and Murphy’s laws are fulfilled, it is likely that the ITV will expire right in the middle of the week. Check the date on which you have to pass the ITV and if it coincides with you in the middle of the trip, it is better to make an appointment and pass it before. In this way you will kill two birds with one stone: you will avoid the inconvenience of cutting your holidays to go to the ITV and, in theory, you will be able to travel with the peace of mind that your car is technically up to date.
Read more
The condition of the oil
1 photos
Check how long ago you changed the oil in the car and how many kilometers you are going to do this Easter. It may be right for you to make the change in the middle of the procession. If so, better Advance the appointment with the workshop and go on a trip with the new oil and filters. This is vital in any car, but especially in diesels with an anti-particle filter due to the high demand that we are going to make of it when driving in a caravan, at slow speed and in traffic jams.
Read more
Battery
1 photos
Few things are more unpleasant and frustrating than going to start the car and it doesn’t. If lately you have noticed that it costs more to start in the morning or you have the slightest suspicion that the battery is not good, do not wait any longer. In the old days you could check the electrolyte level, but today almost all batteries come with sealed vessels and distilled water cannot be added. Also, just because the level is fine doesn’t mean the battery is. The best is Have your load capacity checked in a specialized workshop and, if it is not correct, replace it.
Read more
car lights
1 photos
At this time of year it is often that the weather does not accompany. Rain, fog and even snow can be our travel companions and seeing and being seen is essential. In addition, there are still more hours at night than during daylight, so having your lighting in order is essential.
We ourselves can check if all the lights work, but to check its correct adjustment we will have to go to a workshop, unless we have a garage with a perfect plane on which to park the car and a wall perfectly perpendicular to the ground and parallel to the front of our car on which to measure and, in addition , let’s know what the correct height for our car is and mark it on the wall at the exact distance. In the case of having a blown lamp, in some cars we will have no choice but to go to the workshop to replace it, especially if they are xenon or LED.
Read more
The pressure of the 5 tires
1 photos
As it seems that our pockets hurt more than safety, instead of insisting that tire pressure affects the behavior of the car and things like that, I will tell you that with the correct pressures we can reduce consumption by up to 20% and In addition, we will spend less on the wheels, which are not cheap at all. Although today many models mount run on flat tires or puncture repair kits, there are still many others that have a wheel in the trunk that nobody pays attention to.
If when you have to change a flat tire, the spare one is out of air, it will make you laugh, so don’t forget about it and also check its pressure. If it is the same size as the other 4 set it to the maximum pressure recommended by the manufacturer. If it is the biscuit type, it is normal for them to go to 4.2 bar, but check it in the user manual. Normally it is also indicated on a sticker on the spare wheel itself.
Read more
car fluid levels
There are more liquids in the car than we imagine. It is not only convenient to check the engine oil level, but also the coolant (watch out for hybrid cars because there are two, one for the combustion engine and another for the electrical system that are independent and should not be mixed), brake fluid… I’d better put them on a check list:
- Engine oil: should never exceed the maximum or be below the minimum. Watch it idle at least half an hour after turning off the engine.
- Antifreeze: never check it hot.
- Gearbox oil: especially important in the case of automatics. These should be checked with the engine running.
- Brake fluid: it must not be more than two years old and must always be above the minimum.
- Windshield wiper: there are already enough insects, so it doesn’t hurt to add a specific soap.
Read more
The condition of the wiper blades
1 photos
Precisely because the rain is usually frequent at this time of year and because insects are beginning to abound, it is vital that we can keep the windshield with maximum visibility. The condition of the brushes is essential and changing them is very easy with these simple tips.
Read more
