Preparing Your Car for a Summer Holiday: What to Check Before You Go

Why pre-holiday checks matter

A long summer drive — particularly in traffic or in hot conditions — puts more sustained stress on your car than a typical daily commute. Components that are borderline during normal use can fail under the extra load of a loaded car doing motorway miles for several hours in heat.

The checks below are straightforward and can be done at home or as part of a pre-trip service. The cost of a proper check is a fraction of what a roadside breakdown recovery and repair costs, particularly abroad if you are taking the car through the Channel Tunnel or onto a ferry.

Tyres: the most important check

Tyres are the most safety-critical component to check before a long journey. Check the tread depth on all four tyres — including the spare if you have a full-size one. The legal minimum is 1.6mm, but for motorway and long-distance driving, 3mm is the more sensible threshold. A tyre below 3mm handles significantly worse in an emergency stop.

Check tyre pressures with a gauge when the tyres are cold. Long motorway drives at higher loads — a full family and luggage — require higher pressures than normal. Check your handbook for the high-load pressure setting, usually found on the door sticker alongside the normal pressures. Inspect the sidewalls for bulges or cracks. A sidewall bulge means the tyre should not be used for a long journey.

Fluid levels

Check engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, and screenwash before leaving. Oil and coolant are critical for long drives — low coolant in summer heat is a reliable recipe for an overheating breakdown. Brake fluid should be clear to light yellow; if it is dark brown or black, it is overdue for a change. Old brake fluid has a lower boiling point and can cause fade on sustained downhill braking.

Screenwash runs out faster in summer from bug splatter and dusty roads. Make sure the reservoir is full and that you have a spare bottle in the car.

Brakes, battery, and belts

If the brakes have been making any noises or the pedal feels different from usual, get them inspected before a long journey — not after you return. The combination of a heavy load and extended use on hills or in traffic amplifies any underlying brake weakness.

A battery more than three years old that has shown any signs of weakness over winter or spring should be load-tested before a long drive. A breakdown recovery wait in a summer tailback, particularly with children or elderly passengers, is worth avoiding for the cost of a battery test.

Auxiliary belts — the ribbed belt driving the alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump — should be visually checked for cracking, fraying, or glazing. A snapped auxiliary belt in the middle of a motorway trip cuts charging, air conditioning, and possibly power steering simultaneously.

Get it checked in Bromsgrove before you leave

The Car Guys offers pre-holiday health checks that cover all of the above in one visit. We check tyres (pressures and condition), fluid levels, battery, brakes, and lights, and give you a written report. Book online or call 01527 336608 to choose a time in the week before your departure.