Preparing Your Vehicle for a Road Trip

The Spring Break season is upon us, and before you know it, it will be time to pack up the car and get a little R&R at your vacation of choice. Here at Bledsoe’s Towing and Automotive, we love nothing more than a good road trip, but we also know how important it is to make sure your car is in good working order first. Before you and your friends or family hit the road, here are a few things you should do to keep your car in tip-top shape.

Get A Check-Up

Just like you keep yourself in good condition by a regular check-up with your doctor, your car needs the same thought and care. Bring your vehicle out to the best auto maintenance shop at the Lake of the Ozarks and we’ll give everything a look to make sure it’s ready for the road. Here are a few things we’ll be paying attention to:

Engine Oil

Your vehicle needs engine oil to not only run efficiently but to run at all. If the oil is low, you’ll find your trip could be stopped before it ever got started. We can check your oil, and if the levels are low we can top them off. If you haven’t had an oil change recently, now is a great time to get one. Many vehicles need to have their oil changed every 3,000 miles, but you can refer to your owners manual, or your local auto shop at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Transmission & Differential Fluids

Your vehicles have other fluids besides oil. The transmission and drive axle have their own lubricant supply that needs to be checked on before your big trip. You can refer to you owner’s manual for their suggested change intervals since it’s normally longer than the engine oil.

Hoses

Rubber hoses are known to last around ten years if they just sit on a shelf - but when they are in your car they can be exposed to temperatures of over 200 degrees. Those high temps cause the rubber to become hard. When they become hard they can crack and then the fluids don’t stay where they’re supposed to.

Belts

There are many belts in your vehicles from the serpentine belt that runs the water pump to the timing belt. These belts also tend to have a habit of breaking at the most inopportune time, like when you’re stuck in the 2-mile traffic back-up.

Engine Coolant

Many vehicles come with engine coolant that is designed to go 100,000 to 150,000 miles. If your car is less than four years old, you’ll want to make sure that the under-hood coolant reservoir is topped up.

Road Trips to Remember

There are so many fun memories made on a road trip, but the one memory we don't’ want you to make it being stranded on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck at the Lake of the Ozarks (though, if you need one, we provide a 24-hour towing service at the Lake of the Ozarks.) Prepare for your trip by having your vehicle looked at before you leave and save yourself some unfortunate downtime. Bring your car out to Bledsoe’s Towing and we’ll get you ready for the road trip of a lifetime!

Serving the Lake of the Ozarks with all towing at automotive 

needs - big or small!

www.BledsoesTowing.com

322 South Business Route 5

Camdenton, Missouri 65020

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