Be honest. When did you last lift the bonnet before a long drive? For most of us the pre-trip routine is bags in the boot, an argument about snacks and the sat nav set. The car just gets on with it. Until it doesn’t.
A lot of holiday breakdowns come down to stuff you could have spotted on the driveway in ten minutes. Do these checks the evening before, in daylight, with the car on flat ground and the engine cold.
Know your car’s back story
Start with the bit everyone skips. If you’ve not had the car long, do a quick number plate check on the reg. It’ll tell you whether it’s ever been written off, whether there’s finance still on it and whether the mileage adds up. Far better to find that out on your own drive than 200 miles from home.
Then check when the MOT runs out on the GOV.UK MOT history service. It also lists advisories from the last test, which are basically a mechanic’s note saying “this will need doing soon”. If a tyre or brake pad got flagged last year, have a look at it now.
Tyres
They’re the only part of the car touching the road, and the part people ignore most. Look at each one properly, inner edge included, for cuts, bulges and anything stuck in the tread. A bulge means a new tyre before you go, not after.
The legal limit is 1.6mm, but wet grip drops off well before that, and most tyre experts suggest changing at around 3mm. No gauge? Put a 20p in the main groove. If you can see the outer band, the tread’s getting low.
Check pressures before you load up or drive anywhere, as warm tyres read high. The numbers are usually on a sticker inside the driver’s door, and many cars list a higher figure for a full load. Check the spare too. A flat spare is a special kind of disappointment.
Lights, wipers and glass
Get someone to stand outside while you run through every light, brakes and indicators included. On your own? Reverse up to a garage door at dusk and watch the reflection. Don’t forget the number plate light, as you can be pulled over for it.
Wiper rubber that’s split, hard or leaving streaks should be swapped before you go. It’s a cheap, five-minute job. Look for stone chips in the windscreen too, because a small one can spread into a crack on a long, hot run.
Under the bonnet
The bits you need are usually marked with yellow or blue caps, and the handbook has a diagram if you get stuck.
Oil. Pull the dipstick, wipe it, push it back in and pull it out again. It should sit between the two marks. Top up a little at a time with the right grade, and don’t overfill.
Coolant. The see-through tank has min and max lines on the side. Never open it on a hot engine.
Screenwash. Use proper screenwash, not plain water. Flies in summer and salt in winter both turn into a smeary mess at 70mph.
Brake fluid. If it’s low, get a garage to look rather than just topping it up. It can mean worn pads or a leak.
Battery. Check the terminals aren’t crusty and the engine isn’t sluggish when it starts. If the battery is more than four or five years old, a quick test is worth it, and plenty of tyre centres do it for free.
Inside, and what to pack
Start the engine and watch the dash. The warning lights should come on briefly, then go out. Anything that stays lit, especially a red one, gets sorted before you leave. Try the air con as well, since it’s the quickest way to demist the screen on a wet morning.
Clear any bottles out of the driver’s footwell so nothing rolls under the pedals, and pack heavy bags low in the boot. Alongside the luggage, throw in a phone charger, a torch, water, a blanket and your locking wheel nut key, and save your breakdown number in your phone.
When to call a garage
If anything feels off while you’re doing all this, like grinding brakes, a burning smell or a fluid level that keeps dropping, book it in before the trip. A bill now beats a recovery truck in Cornwall.
Otherwise, that’s it. Ten minutes the night before, and you can set off thinking about the drive instead of the car.