Whether the sun is shining or the rain is falling, summer break provides the perfect time for a road trip. From family drives to visit distant relatives to gathering your friends into the car and hitting the beach for the weekend, now is the perfect time to hit the road. While the very nature of the journey is to be relaxed, the key to ensuring a stress-free trip is through preparation.

Prepare Your Car and Your Brain for a Road Trip

After years of providing drivers with high-quality products for their synthetic oil change, NC Synthetic has learned a thing or two about how to plan for a good road trip. To help get you started, we have prepared a list of tips to ensure your road trip is an enjoyable one.

Prepare Your Vehicle

The most important aspect of a road trip is that it gets you to where you are going. While it's true that there is a lot of fun to be had on the way, that fun will quickly disappear if you breakdown.

Safety Check

The most important part of any road trip is safety. It only takes a couple of minutes to inspect your vehicle to ensure it is road trip ready and it makes a big difference. Pay attention the following:

• Brake pads
  • These are crucial to ensuring you can stop or slow down to avoid hazards on the road. Given that you will be driving along the highway, it is important you can slow down or brake suddenly while traveling at highway speeds.
• Headlamps
  • Just because you have planned to do your driving during the day doesn't mean that everything will go according to plan. If either of your headlamps is dim, replace them both before leaving and pack the current ones as spares.
• Indicators
  • Be sure that you can provide other drivers with an indication of your intentions to change lanes and merge into traffic.
• Seat Belts
  • If any of your seat belts are frayed or have broken locking mechanisms, replace them immediately.
• Tire condition
  • Incurring a tire blowout at high speed is dangerous and very avoidable. Check for any cracks or missing pieces of rubber and if you notice any damage, replace the tire immediately. Additionally, check that you have sufficient tread on your tires. Be sure to perform the same inspection on your spare tire.

Fluids

Every good vehicle-based checklist includes fluids and with good reason! The many different types of fluids are crucial to your engine's operation. A couple of days before your journey, take some time to check the level of each and every fluid that your car uses. This even includes the water and soap level to clean your windshield.  If you notice that any of these levels are running low, top them up and pack the rest of the bottle in the trunk. Pay particular attention to your engine lubricant as it is the most important fluid your engine requires. If it looks dirty or is past its lifespan, perform a synthetic oil change instead of topping it up. If this will be the first time you perform a synthetic oil change or draining and replacing any of your engine's fluid levels, speak with NC Synthetic at (919) 624-2934 to get the right fluid for the job.  Using an incorrect or low-quality fluid in your engine could cause serious damage to your car's engine.

Prepare Yourself and Your Passengers

Once your vehicle has been taken care of, it's time to ensure that you and your passengers will enjoy the journey. When packing your vehicle, be sure to include these items:

• Blankets (to prevent arguments over air conditioning/heating)
• Handheld fans
• A first aid kit
• Sandwiches or other hunger satisfying lunch items
• Fruit
• Snacks (try to avoid sugar)
• Lots of water
• Travel Games
• Music
• Mobile device chargers

These items will ensure that most of your passengers are comfortable and entertained, however, just because you're the driver doesn't mean that you are responsible for everybody's comfort. Make sure you remind your passengers to bring anything extra they think they will need along the way.

A Quick and Easy Synthetic Oil Change in Garner

Extended driving times along with increasing temperatures can put additional strain on your engine that your motor oil is responsible for appeasing. Instead of making the trip with a tank of old oil, perform a synthetic oil change at home before your journey. Speak with NC Synthetic at (919) 624-2934 a couple of days in advance and order the fluid that is right for you. Along with your engine oil, NC Synthetic can also provide fluids like your power steering oil and coolant.