It’s holiday time. You’ve spent your hard earned dollars on accommodation, taken days to get everything ready to load into the car and you and the family are finally about to hit the road.
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“People get everything ready for their holiday, the room, their luggage, but they haven’t had the time or the money to service the car,” mechanic Matthew Windsor said.
With 40 years of experience under his belt, many running his own workshop, he knows very well that failing to have your vehicle given the once over before you head off may mean you fail to arrive at your destination.
“It could mean you just don’t get there – it can turn to disaster,” he said. “I’ve heard all the stories.”
So, even if you do your own maintenance, Mr Windsor explained, it is advisable to have your car checked annually by a licensed mechanic – especially before you go on a trip.
“It is a good idea to take your car to a workshop, at least once a year, just for a general checkover – it doesn’t even have to be for a service,” he said. “And it’s even more important before going on a trip. Changing your own oil and filters, etc, is fine, but you really need to pull the wheels off and have a look at the brakes and the tyres and inspect the front end and suspension, particularly for cars which have a lot of kilometres on them.
“People are funny, they’ll come to a mechanic and say ‘my air conditioning is not so good and I’m going away on holidays’.
People are funny, they’ll come to a mechanic and say ‘my air conditioning is not so good and I’m going away on holidays’.
- Matthew Windsor
“Well, the air conditioning is probably the last thing you really need to be worrying about.”
Checking other car components is vital – both from a safety viewpoint and also to reduce stress and frustration on your holiday drive.
“Don’t take your car for granted,” he said.
“You need ensure the hoses and fan belts are good, which is just a quick check under the bonnet to establish the hoses are nice and soft still – not hard and crunchy. Then have a good look around the fan belt to make sure there are no small cracks and that it doesn’t look tatty.
“You should also make sure your vehicle’s timing belt has been replaced at around 100,000km.”
Other must-dos include checking:
- engine oil
- tyre pressure
- the spare tyre
- coolant is topped up
- window washer bottle is full
- windscreen wipers are in good order
- headlights and brakelights are working (keep a spare bulb in the glovebox)
Something else Mr Windsor advocates organising before a roadtrip is roadside service.
“I have roadside service on my own car, because you just never know what will happen,” he said. “I know of so many people who breakdown and they are stuck – it ends up costing them $300 or $400 just to get towed into town to a workshop.
“Really, roadside service is like having insurance for your holiday. It just gives you peace of mind.”
