Sparta Road Trip Preparation
August 11, 2019
People from Sparta, Illinois, love their cars. And nothing goes with cars better than a Illinois road trip. Freedom from daily schedules, new sights and the open road – it's great! But there's nothing like car trouble to bring the fun to a grinding halt.
You can't always avoid problems, but you can take steps to reduce the probability of getting sidelined on your trip.
Heading out on a Illinois road trip? Stop by Charlie's Fast Lube Sparta before you head out to make sure everything is in good repair.
Let's look at some of the auto maintenance related problems you might encounter on a road trip in Illinois and what you might do to avoid them.
The most common vehicle component to fail is the tires. Of course, you can't always avoid a road hazard that leads to a flat, but you may be able to head off some maintenance-connected tire problems.
A good tire inspection at Charlie's Fast Lube Sparta will start with looking over the condition of the tire itself. Are there signs of uneven tire wear? Are the tires properly inflated? Is the tread worn to the point that the tire should be replaced? The answers to these questions may lead to a recommendation to balance or rotate your tires. It may also be time to have an alignment service.
Your brakes should be inspected for function as well as to determine how much life is left in your brake pads. You'll also want to know if it's time to service your brake fluid. Over time, water and contaminants make their way into your brake fluid and the system needs to be flushed, cleaned and filled with fresh fluid.
While you're out seeing the sights, you'll want to make sure you can see the sights. Replace your windshield wipers if they aren't working well. And don't forget your headlamps. They gradually lose their brightness and you don't even realize it. Many people replace their lamps once or twice a year.
All the items mentioned are part of any good vehicle maintenance plan. These are things that you want to take care of anyway, but they all come into focus as you plan for your trip. They'll always save you money in the long run and may prevent inconvenient delays on your trip. After all, you wouldn't want to miss the world's largest ball of string, would you?
Charlie's Fast Lube Sparta
10 Northtown Drive
Sparta, Illinois 62286
618-443-6112
http://www.charliesfastlubesparta.com
Need Service?
More articles from Charlie's Fast Lube Sparta
Growing Old Together (Maintaining an Older Vehicle)
November 17, 2024
More and more of us are hanging on to our vehicles longer. A company by the name of HIS Markit recently released a report that shows the average age of light vehicles in the U.S. is now 11.8 years. Light vehicles are cars, SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and CUVs (compact utility vehicles). In C... More
What is a TPS? (Throttle Position Sensor)
November 10, 2024
You know you have an accelerator pedal; step on it and your vehicle is supposed to go. But did you know there is a part in your vehicle that keeps track of where the throttle is? It's called the Throttle Position Sensor, or TPS. The TPS is a sensor that helps your vehicle figure out the right mi... More
Positive and Negative (Battery Care)
November 3, 2024
You notice when your smartphone's battery starts to go weak on you. It runs out of juice faster than it did when it was new. Bet you pay attention to that pretty closely. Unfortunately, many of us don't pay the same attention to the battery in our vehicles. If your battery got you through the c... More