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Hopping Across The North East From Hub To Hub

Traveller’s guide: prepping the car

BySteve Stones

Jul 30, 2019 #Motoring

With average summer temperatures in the UK increasing year on year, many Brits are choosing to holiday at home before jetting off to the south of France or Sardinia.

Prior to packing up the car and heading off on your next ‘staycation’, browse through these quick tips to make your journey as smooth as possible.

Tyres

An underinflated tyre, or even worse, a punctured one, can cause utter havoc in regard to your journey. Automotive testing has found that an underinflated tyre can increase your fuel consumption by around five percent. So not only will your fuel bill be much heftier that it should be, you’re also doing more damage to the environment.

A blow out at 70mph on the motorway is every car driver’s idea of hell. Not only does it put you at a serious risk of crashing and causing detrimental harm to other road users, it’s a nightmare to get fixed and is likely to damage the rim. Handling levels are massively affected by tyres that are underinflated as well, with stopping distances increased and steering taking a similar knock. A car tyre inflator is easily stored in the boot, taking up limited space and will seem like a priceless purchase when you’re stood on the hard shoulder.

We strongly advice checking the boot to see what the manufacturer has supplied you with. Marketed as a space saver, most car manufactures in recent years have opted out of providing consumers with a full-size spare wheel, and in its place, you will find tyre sealant foam. Be comfortable that you know how to use it before heading off into the abyss, and if it’s a spare wheel, learn how to use a jack.

Under the bonnet

What will take a maximum of ten minutes in the driveway before setting off on your next adventure, could prevent you from spending hundreds of pounds on recovery charges. Grab a bit of kitchen roll, pull out your engine’s dip stick, wipe away the oil, and re-dip it to check your levels. If you’re running low, top it up. Most of us will ever only venture under the bonnet as soon as something goes wrong e.g. a Vesuvius-like cloud bellowing from the engine. Despite an exact timescale of how often you should check your oil not existing, experts suggest if you’re a regular driver, you should check it at least once a month. Let your oil run too low, or use the wrong one, and you could be looking at serious damage to your car’s components.

Windscreen

Motorways often contain extensive stretches of clean asphalt. B-roads, however, or country lanes, are quite the opposite. Therefore, ensure you have your washer bottles topped up. Country roads that lead to some of the nicest camp sites are also used on a daily basis by tractors and other farm machinery, which are likely to spray muck over the roads. Following Google maps can be tricky enough, never mind having to do so with darkened out, dirt covered windows.

Comfortable journey

So, you’ve organised the car and completed the checklist — now it’s time to think about yourself. Due to the fact the radio can become ridiculously repetitive, it may be worth considering setting yourself up with a lengthy playlist to help you on your way. If you fancy a few laughs along the way, a nice addition to Spotify as of late is the Best of British Comedy playlist, which includes a range of excerpts from stand up shows and BBC series Mock the Week.

If you’re setting off on a journey that will stretch beyond your next meal time, then it is worth considering bringing the cool bag, complete with a smorgasbord, keeping the belly topped up. It’s important that you don’t overlook drinks either – remember to take plenty of cold and hot drinks such as water and organic coffee to keep you hydrated on your trip.

Prior to the boom in popularity of package holidays in the UK back in the ‘60s, every corner of the British Isles was inundated with locals taking advantage of everything the collective of nations has to offer. Now, in 2019, a shift has occurred once again, and packing up the car and hitting the open road has become the to-do thing. Use this handy guide to prep for your next jaunt!

About the author

Jonny Gilpin is a copywriter for digital marketing agency, Mediaworks. Originally from Northern Ireland but now based in Newcastle, he specialises in lifestyle, current affairs and sport.