Are you going on holiday with your car? Do the holiday check on your car

If you go on holiday with your car, you don't want to be stranded on the road with a breakdown because you haven't checked the parts of your car. A holiday check of your own car before you leave is therefore not an unnecessary luxury. It may take some time - a reason for people to have a car rental on holiday – but then you know that you are going on the road safely. You can do a large part of a car check for your holiday yourself, such as checking the coolant and oil level. You can have other things checked by the garage. What does the holiday check look like for your car? We will teach you in this article.

What to check with your car before your holiday?

Before you go on holiday by car, it is important to check a number of things to ensure that you can travel safely and without problems. Think of things like coolant, oil level, air conditioning and the like. By carrying out these checks, you reduce the chance of unexpected problems and you can go on holiday with peace of mind.

Coolant

At higher temperatures, the chance of an engine overheating is greater. Especially when you have to drive in a lot of traffic jams, then that chance is very high because there is no wind to cool your engine. The coolant cools your engine, but then you have to have enough coolant in your engine. Therefore, always check the level of your coolant before departure. Do this with a cold engine. The minimum level is indicated on the reservoir where the coolant is located, so that you can easily top it up to the desired value yourself.

Oil level

The oil in your engine ensures that the moving parts remain lubricated and also acts as a coolant. oil level is therefore important to check in the summer before you go on holiday. You check the oil level with a dipstick on a cold engine. Put the dipstick in the engine and take it out. Now you can read the oil level on the stick. If the oil is below the minimum, be sure to top it up. Read here how much oil your car needs.

Windshield Washer Fluid

In the summer you often have to deal with flies, sand and other dirt on your car windows. It is useful if you can remove this with your windscreen wipers. Therefore, always check the windscreen washer fluid in your car during your holiday check. You can also easily refill this fluid yourself. Use blue fluid that is suitable for the whole year or yellow/pink fluid that is especially for the summer months.

AC

An air conditioner should be checked and refilled annually anyway, but before you go on holiday, this might be even more useful. Although it is wiser to have a professional look at this, you can also turn on the air conditioner yourself in the winter. This way, for example, the compressor is lubricated and the entire system remains healthy. This leads to fewer leaks and the associated repairs.

Tire pressure and tire tread

If the tire pressure is not correct, you run the risk of a blowout and it is bad for your car in general. Before you go on vacation, it is therefore advisable to check the tire pressure. Of course, you also want to have some grip on narrow, winding mountain roads. That is why it is also advisable to check your tire tread. You can simply purchase a tire tread gauge. The legal minimum is 1.6 millimeters deep. For on vacation abroad However, a tire profile of at least 2.0 millimeters is recommended.

Lighting

Good working lights are always important when driving at night. Lights ensure that other drivers see you but also that you see enough of what is happening on the road. Broken lights are also an offence in many countries, which can result in a traffic fine. So check with someone or in a mirrored surface before leaving whether every light is working. So also check fog lights, low beam, city lights and the like.

Have your car checked for holiday by the garage

For a complete holiday check of your car, you better go to a garage, because things like the radiator, brake discs, brakes, battery, dynamo, shock absorbers, exhaust and V-belt you can't check yourself. Especially when your major or minor service took place a while ago and you use your car a lot, a car holiday check in the garage is advisable.

Things to take on your car holiday

What should you not forget when you are on the road for a long time? Here we have listed the most important items that you should have in your car:

• Fuses
• spare keys
• Warning triangle
• First aid supplies
• Jumper cables
• Safety vest
• Spare wheel
• Jack
• Fire extinguisher