ORLANDO, Fla. — Rennie Bryant has seen it all before: Since founding Redline Performance, an auto repair facility in Pompano Beach, Fla., more than 35 years ago, he’s used to hearing last-minute requests from customers who are heading out of town on a holiday trip.
With Thanksgiving approaching quickly, the holiday season will be here before you, and your car, know it. Holiday travel is stressful enough, and an ill-prepared vehicle can not only jeopardize your trip but the safety of you and your passengers. In the best case, on-the-road repairs are seldom cheap or convenient.
There’s a lot that shade-tree mechanics can do, but Bryant suggests that to really check the car out, you need to put the vehicle on a lift, and few of us have access to one. Underneath, Bryant said that while modern vehicles don’t need conventional lubrication jobs, you need to check CV joint boots — rubber enclosures that surround constant-velocity joints on front and all-wheel-drive vehicles that connect the engine to the wheels — for cracks that can let lubrication out, dirt and water in.
It’s also much easier to check for leaks from underneath — you can catch small problems before they turn into big ones. Brakes and brake lines should be inspected, as well as the condition of the exhaust system — if you live near the beach, corrosion from salt water can play havoc with the undercarriage of vehicles.
“It’s easier to check tires, too,” Bryant says, as you can rotate the tire and check the tread for cuts, unusual wear or nails and other puncture-causing objects.
Once the car is back on the ground, Bryant checks the spare tire. “No one ever thinks to look at it and check the pressure until it’s too late,” he says. “Those little temporary spare tires tend to lose air quickly.”
Under the hood, Bryant checks the age, level and condition of the oil, the transmission fluid and the brake fluid. “And, of course, the antifreeze in the radiator — since it so seldom freezes in Florida, we tend to just forget about it.”
Also worth a look: Belts and hoses; fuel, oil and air filters — including the often-overlooked cabin air filters many modern vehicles have, and windshield washer fluid, as well as the condition of the wipers. When was the last time you checked to make sure all your exterior lights work? A pre-holiday trip checkup is a good time.
Finally, don’t forget your own comfort on a trip. A good interior cleaning, including the glass, will make the trip more pleasant — no car ever comes back from a holiday trip cleaner than it was when you left.
Holiday travel kit
Here’s your starter kit for automotive emergencies. What to take along:
Your AAA card, or a membership from another agency that offers emergency road service.
A can of aerosol tire repair. And read the instructions before you go.
A flashlight. Well worth buying: One of those small lights that have a crank for manual recharging.
A list of family and emergency phone numbers, stapled inside a good old-fashioned road atlas.
A phone charger that plugs into the cigar lighter.
A fresh roll of duct tape, a quart of motor oil, a half-roll of paper towels and a gallon of distilled water — good for drinking, or filling a radiator.
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