Car tips for Memorial Day weekend
Before you put your seatbelt on, put the key in the ignition and start your car to head out on your road trip, there are a couple of things professionals suggest that you get your car checked out for.
“The best acronym that we suggest to use is the word B-E-T. You make a safe bet when you check your battery, your engine fluid levels, and your tires. Those are the most common things that we have to resolve at the roadside,” said AAA Public Affairs Director of Idaho, Matthew Conde.
According to AAA, nearly 43 million Americans will take a Memorial Day vacation. The roads will be busy with travelers anxious to get to their destination. The last thing you want is to have your vacation be set back by unexpected car trouble.
“So if you’ve noticed a flat tire or a steady drip on your garage floor, those are the things that need to be addressed.”
“Sometimes people treat those things like they would a visit to the dentist, but really, that preventative care is something that prevents a bigger problem later.”
Many shops around town like Oswald Service and Repair offer free inspections. So making sure your car is ready to go, is as simple as driving to your nearest mechanic. They’re able to inspect things that most can’t on their own, like the battery.
“The battery and the charging system is definitely something you want to have looked at before you go, not only for this weekend but for the summer months that are coming up. The heat actually has a little more effect on your battery than the cold weather does, so you want to make sure that your battery tests good and that you’ve got a nice strong battery heading into summer,” said owner and mechanic at Oswald Service and Repaid, Kevin Oswald.
In the event that you do have car troubles, AAA suggests you prepare an emergency kit.
“Having some extra food and water, some extra clothes, and just those basic supplies. A mobile power source to support your cellphone. Those are the kinds of things that you want to have so that if you do have to wait for help, you do have some things that can make everybody comfortable until that help arrives.”
