If you are going on a trip, the last thing you want to have happened is for something to go wrong with your car. Unfortunately, because your car is older, the chances of something happening is higher. Because of this, there are things you should have done to your car before you leave on your trip. Below are two of these things to help you get started.

Rotate and Balance The Tires

When you drive your car, the front tires lose tread much faster than the rear tires. This is because the front tires are used much more while driving. For example, when turning your car, the front tires move so more tread sheds away. Rotating your tires will help with this as the back tires have much more tread. The front tires still have enough tread to last longer so moving them to the rear works well.

Along with rotating your tires you also need to have the tires balanced. This is especially true if you have noticed vibrations or movement coming from the steering wheel while you are driving your car. There are weights inside the wheels of your tires. The weights are evenly spaced around the wheel. Over time, the weights will shift causing your wheels to become off balance. For example, all the weights may move to the same area inside the wheel. Over time, this will also cause your tires to lose tread much faster.

A mechanic can rotate and then balance your tires for you. When finished, your car will drive evenly on the road, and you may feel like you are driving a brand-new car.

Change The Oil

If you have not changed the oil in your car in quite some time you need to do this before you leave on your trip. First, check with the user's manual for your car to determine how often you need to change the oil and the type of oil you need to use. Oil is important as it is what keeps your engine lubricated and healthy.

Dirty oil gets really thick, so it has a much harder time moving throughout the engine. Dirty oil also causes friction in the components of the engine when they move together. This friction will cause damage to the components over time. If your car is low on oil, then your engine is not completely lubricated, and this will lead to engine problems.

If you have never changed your oil before take your car to a mechanic to have this done. Write down the date of the oil change, so you know when to come back to have the oil changed again. Talk to an auto company like Foster's Auto Service Inc about this information and they can give you many more details. 

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