Taking a Summer Road Trip? Be Sure Your Car's in Good Shape, Part I

Faced with still-high gasoline prices, jittery job prospects and a shaky economy, there are lots of people who are planning to take very little more than a simple vacation at the seashore or the mountains near their homes.

That "simple" trip can be more complicated than you think, especially if you have let some of the maintenance go on your car in order to save a few dollars this year. You may still think you can get away with it on your trip, but, when the serpentine belt breaks as you are going up a particularly steep section of roadway through your local mountains and there's not place to turn out safely, you'll be saying all kinds of things to yourself about what you should have done all along.

In an effort to keep the language your kids will hear a lot less blue than it should be, here's a short list of things to do before you set out on your trip.

First and foremost, take your car to a local garage or mechanic you trust, have him pop the hood and check out all the belts and hoses. In some cars, notably Honda's, for one, there's a serpentine belt that's inside the block that, if your car has about 105,000 miles on it, should be replaced. This is not an inexpensive job, averaging about $800, but it has to be done. Most timing or serpentine belts are a lot less expensive, but they still run in the $200 to $400 range. (If your car has an external set of belts, it's a good idea at this time to have them all replaced, just as a matter of safety. Don't relay on "dressing" or some other belt reviver to do this work. If your belts look shiny and worn, replace them.)

Your engine's hoses should feel solid. If they feel spongy or mushy they should be replaced. Pay special attention to the areas where the clamps attach to the engine couplings as these can wear and you can end up with leaks you don't think about. Make sure that the car's thermostat is also working correctly because this is the device that enables your car's block to heat quickly and thoroughly and makes your engine run at its proper temperature.

If your belts and hoses check out, it's also a good time to make sure that any filters in the engine are replaced. A small item like a gasoline filter can easily become gummed up and can constrict the flow of gas to your injectors and this means your car will not only perform poorly - if at all - but it may leave you stranded at the size of the road. It's a relatively inexpensive part that should be swapped out now. The same is true of any transmission filters.

Make sure all of your vehicle's fluids are up to snuff. If you find you are a little down on antifreeze/coolant (yes, you use the same stuff all year), make sure that you refill at the plastic overflow bottle on the side. It's much easier than trying the fill it the old way - or the way you may have been used to at the filler cap. Wait until the engine has cooled down so you can get a true reading of how much antifreeze/coolant you may need. It's also a good idea to find out why your car is down on antifreeze/coolant in the first place.

You might have already fixed the problem by having the hoses or clamps replaced because worn hoses or clamps may have caused the loss of antifreeze/coolant. If the loss continues after you've replaced the hoses or clamps, then you may have a system problem that's a lot more serious. It could be a leak in a radiator or heater core or it could be in the air conditioning system. It might even be something as harmful as a crack in block that's allowing the antifreeze/coolant to mix with your oil. You'll find that your antifreeze/coolant may have an oily sheen or may have clumps of oil floating in it, if there's a leak.

A cracked block is a good sign that it's time to replace the vehicle, although if the body and interior are in good shape, then it might make sense to invest the $3,000 or $4,000 in a new engine. It's a lot less expensive than a whole new vehicle.

Let's say the engine, hoses and belts check out and that all of your car's fluids are topped off - and clean, then the next place to look is at the air conditioning system, especially if you will be traveling a long distance up in your area. (There are some areas in New England that are a good 10 or more hours from Boston, so you know that you'll have to do a decent amount of driving. If the weather is warmish and sticky, you know that you'll be making use of your air conditioning system quite a bit, so you had better have it ready for the work (you'll also probably be using it around your destination to do sightseeing or to do shopping). There's nothing worse than having a car full of cranky, tired kids who are feeling the humidity and who just want to get out of the car and make for the first body of water they see. Even cranky adults don't like driving without air conditioning that works.

So, you'll have to have your mechanic make sure that the refrigerant is up to snuff and that all of the pieces of the A/C - condenser, clutch, fan, blower, even the radiator that carries the heat away - working correctly. It just makes sense.

Using a baseball metaphor here, we're rounding third and heading for home in our technical check of your car. At this point, it's a good idea to have your mechanic take a close look at your car's braking system. If it is an all-wheel disc brake system, you can inspect it right along with him as you can see if the rotors are scored and if hear if there's any metal-to-metal grinding. If there is, it's most certainly the time to replace the offending brakes.

In a front-drive car, the front brakes take the beating because they are actually stopping about 70 percent of the weight of the vehicle and they wear out more quickly than the rears - especially in a front-drive vehicle where the rear brakes are doing little more than being dragged around by the vehicle. It is true there are EBD systems (electronic brake distribution) that are supposed to even out the wear and more evenly distribute the front/rear load. However you slice it, though, you cannot get around the physics of the situation. The heavier front end still carries the major it the weight of the vehicle and does most of the stopping. So, be sure your front brakes are in top shape.

In some vehicles, you will find front disc/rear drum brake systems. Usually used in economy vehicles (you'll find them in older Honda Civics, for example, and Chevy Cobalt's), they are employed because they are inexpensive to install and maintain. Be sure you have these brakes checked thoroughly, too, as they are the way you stop your car. They may not be as high-tech or surefooted as disc brakes all around, but they do the job of stopping your vehicle quite well, especially if it's a lightweight car.

You can help your mechanic diagnose your car's problems by listening for strange sounds coming from the brakes when you apply them or if you feel them fade away on a long hill, then it's time to swap out your car's brakes.

Make sure that, aside from any strange noises you might hear, that there are no brake fluid leaks - you can spot them the spots that are created on your driveway are usually gray. Also, pop the cover of the master cylinder under the hood to make sure the brake fluid looks clean and that there are no bubbles in it. Also, with the car running make sure that the brakes don't go the entire why to the floor. If they do, then you have a real problem because there's trouble in brake drum city that your mechanic will have to track down.

(End of Part I)