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So, it’s almost summer. Yay! If you are like us that means summer road trips. Amber and I usually take a few road trips during the summer. Some are a few days long and some are day trips. Either way, we don’t want to be caught on the side of the road or not have what we need. So, we have a list of 13 summer car care tips we do to get ready.

13 Summer Car Care Tips For Great Road Trips

Get Your Car Looked Over By A Mechanic – I like to get the belts hoses and such looked at by a professional every few months. I always take my car to the same mechanic so he is nice enough to do this for free.

Get The Freon In Your AC Checked – I like to vacation in the hot places. That does not mean I want to be hot.

Fill Up On Gas The Night Before – I like to do this just because I find it convenient. Also, if you oversleep or are in a time crunch the next day, this is just one less thing to think about.

Take Your Own Snacks And Drinks – We always pack a cooler with waters and a few other drinks. Then, when we head out, we stop at Walmart to get ice. We dump it out as it melts and refill with ice as necessary. We also get one of their variety snack packs that come in the big bag to keep in the car. This saves so much money over the course of the trip.

Check Your Tires – One two recent trips, I have had to replace one tire before I left {not the same tire}. One was so bad that my car probably would not have made the trip as it was splitting! So, I am really glad that I got a new tire before I left.

Clean Your Car – I like to clean the car thoroughly before I leave on any trip. I clean it both inside and out. Granted, sometimes it comes back dirty, but that is ok. Summer road trips require a lot of time in cars, so you don’t want to be miserable.

Check Your CD Collection – This is one of the summer car care tips that is often forgotten. I keep CDs over both visors in my car. So, before summer road trips, I like to change them out as I grow tired of listening to the same CDs all the time. Also, if there are several of us going on a trip together, we often make mix CDs with songs on them everyone likes so there is no fighting over the radio.

Change Your Oil If Necessary – Your road trip might add a lot of miles to your car so an oil change might be in order.

Check All Fluid Levels – Fluids that need to be checked include {but might not be limited to} transmission, oil, brake fluid, washer fluid and antifreeze. You can get the mechanic to do this, if it makes you feel better. Or, you can easily do it yourself. Check your car’s manual for instructions.

Clean All Windows And Mirrors Thoroughly – Don’t forget to clean the insides of your windows, too, as they get dirty and can often be neglected.

Deal With Any Safety Recalls – Sometimes we get notifications about safety recalls. These are important to deal with before you go on summer road trips as some of them could be safety issues.

Change Your Car’s Cabin Air Filter – Here is another one of our summer car care tips that often gets neglected. No, that is not the same as the air filter. I have a tutorial on how to change your car’s cabin air filter here.

Change Your Car’s Air Filter – No need to pay someone else to do this for you. It’s super easy to change your own air filter. We bought our FRAM Extra Guard Air Filter at Walmart.

Changing your air filter is so important, yet often overlooked. A clean air filter prevents dust and other debris from getting into your engine. It can also increase your car’s overall performance. FRAM recommends changing your air filter annually or every 12,000 miles. Be sure to follow recommended change intervals as noted in your vehicle owner’s manual.

How To Change Your Car’s Air Filter

First, locate the air filter compartment, or “breather” as it is sometimes referred to, on your vehicle. Note that different makes and models of vehicles place the air filter compartment in different places, therefore yours may be much different than ours. It can usually be found by looking for a 4-inch round, ribbed hose coming out of a black box on your engine. That box is the air intake, where the filter should be located. However, if you are not certain, I recommend speaking to a certified mechanic before proceeding or checking your car’s manual.

Next, determine how to remove the top of the compartment. Again, this is different on various vehicles. On the Jeep Liberty and my daughter’s Jeep Patriot, it was simply two latches on each end of the compartment. On the GMC Acadia which we were changing the filter on, it was six hex (or star bit) head screws. Again, if you are not certain, speak to a certified mechanic before proceeding.

After determining the way to remove the top of the compartment, remove the top and look inside. There you should see the air filter. It just sits inside the box. There should not be anything to really hold it in there since it is already contained inside the compartment. You can remove the old filter simply by lifting it out of the compartment.

Next, be sure to check that your new replacement air filter is the same size and shape as the one you are removing. If it isn’t, you may have the wrong filter for your car. That will mean a trip back to the store to exchange your new filter for the right one. Otherwise, note which way your old filter came out. The filter may have to go in a certain way. On our GMC Acadia, the bigger end had to go down in the compartment. Some filters have arrows on them to indicate the direction of air flow. That should help if it does. Otherwise, it should be obvious if you set the new filter in and it doesn’t seem to sit well, or you can’t get the compartment lid to go back on, you need to flip the filter over.

Once you have placed the air filter in the compartment, replace the top of the compartment and you are done. Our vehicle took a little longer with the hex head screws, about 30-45 minutes, but in other vehicles, it can be done in less than five minutes.

Socialize With FRAM

FRAM Website / Find FRAM at Walmart

Do You Have Any Other Summer Car Care Tips For Great Road Trips?