During the summertime, vehicles are used more than in other times of the year. There are road trip, tips to day camps for children (If they are open despite the pandemic), and other places that would require the vehicle to travel farther than it normally does. That also does not count the fact warmer temperatures can cause the vehicle to run differently and potentially cause problems if the vehicle is not looked after or checked on regularly.

Because of this, I wanted to write a post about five summertime prep ideas for a vehicle. These ideas are basic maintenance for the vehicle, but it is more important to do this before driving in the summer. The ideas I’m including in this post are not everything you should check if you want to do a complete pre summer vehicle maintenance. If you want to have a complete vehicle maintenance, please contact your favorite auto mechanic to know what they will check and how much it will cost.

Vacuum and Clean the Inside of the Vehicle

If you haven’t vacuumed and cleaned the inside of the vehicle, doing it before the summer starts is a great time to do so. Depending on how much time you have, cleaning could be from washing the inside of the windows and picking up large trash to vacuuming and cleaning armrests to wet vacuuming the seats and carpet. Whatever the amount of time you have to clean the vehicle, it’s always a great time to also go through the vehicle to see if there are any lost toys, papers, and double check to see if you will need to restock essential supplies you keep in your vehicle all the time. For an example, if you keep extra straws, napkins, and tissues, now would be the time to see if you need to restock your vehicle.

 

Check Tire Treads and Tire Pressure

The hot temperatures effect tires differently than in colder winter months. This is why it’s important to see if the tire treads are in good shape as well as tire pressure. Worn tire treads indicate it’s time to replace them. As for tire pressure, hot temperatures cause tire pressure to naturally increase. If you don’t check you vehicle’s tire pressure, and it is too high, you could suffer from a tire blowout. For more information about checking tire treads and what is a safe tire pressure, please read these articles…

How to Check Tire Treads Using the Penny Test

What is Safe Summertime Tire Pressure

 

Check Oil Levels and Keep Track of How Frequently the Oil Needs to Be Refilled

Checking a vehicle’s oil levels are important to keeping the engine running properly. I like to check my vehicle’s oil every week, usually a Wednesday, because they are older vehicles and could need more monitoring. Despite this, checking the oil is important to do no matter if the vehicle is new or old. If the oil needs to be refilled, then use the right oil weight for the vehicle. Also, keep track of how often the vehicle needs to be refilled. This way you can tell your auto mechanic how often your vehicle needed oil until the next oil change. It could be extremely helpful information because it could indicate an oil leak.

 

Check on the Windshield Wipers and Replace Them if They are Brittle

Windshield wipers are not as important as oil level and tires, but if you are going somewhere on a road trip, check them. If they are brittle, please change them before leaving for your trip. Even if the weather is good and there is no rain, there could still be times to use the wipers. For an example, if the windshield is too dirty and you want to use the automatic windshield cleaning function on your vehicle, you will need to use your windshield wipers. If the wipers are brittle, they will leave streaks. So, to avoid any sort of frustrations, change them if they are brittle.

 

Invest in Sun Shades (Or New Sun Shades If Your Current Shades Are Old and Looking Worn Out)

The sun is very hard on plastics and interior part of the vehicle. Because of this, invest in a sun shade. You may not need to use it all the time, but if you need to park in an area where there are no overhead shade for long periods of time, then a sun shade will protect the vehicle’s interior from sun damage. It can also prevent the vehicle’s interior from heating up too much. If you already own a sun shade up it is looking old and worn out, then replace it before traveling or before they rip.

 

Well, that’s all for now! Thank you for reading!