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With summer in the air and holidays and family get togethers calling, many South Africans are bound to be hitting the road for the festive season.
But nothing puts a damper on a road trip quicker than a flat tyre or an empty tank!
“To ensure the best possible experience on the road, we want to encourage all motorists to get their vehicles checked out in good time, and to make sure they are mentally prepared for their journeys," the Automobile Association told Wheels24.
Here are 5 tips and hacks to make sure your car is road trip ready:
1. Check it before you wreck it
Let’s take it all the way back to the first step of a driving test: the pre-trip inspection. Although everyone with a licence should know these steps off by heart, we won’t blame you if you also need a quick re-cap from the K53 guide. The pre-trip inspection tests your vehicle's roadworthiness and ensures that your car is ready for action. So, before you hit the road this December, make sure you do an interior and exterior inspection that includes checking your tyres, windshields, lights (head, rear, breaks and indicators), mirrors, oil, water, brake fluid and fan belt.
2. Always carry a spare
Whether it’s a wheel or a can of fuel, you should always carry a spare for the worst-case scenario. Make sure you also have a Jack, lug wrench, flashlight with working batteries, reflective triangles, gloves and wheel wedges for when push comes to shove and it’s time to change a tyre.
When carrying a spare can of fuel safely by storing it upright and securely in your car. A leaking container, even when standing upright, is potentially explosive.
3. Fill her up and save petrol
South Africans have had to endure a love-hate relationship with the petrol prices this year as it fluctuated between R13,76 in March to R17,08 in October inland. If that tells us anything, it’s that timing is key when filling up. Keep an eye out for the petrol prices and fill up accordingly for your Summer adventures. Slowing down, packing lighter and switching off the air-con are all simple hacks to make your fuel go an extra mile. According to the AA, dropping from 120 km/h to 100 km/h can save you up to 25% in fuel.
4. Know when and how to jump
Jump-starting your car is something any motorist will need to do at some point and although it may be daunting for a first timer, we’ve got an easy guide for you from the book Auto Repairs for Dummies:
1. Place both vehicles in park or neutral and shut off the ignition in both cars.
2. Attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal of your battery and attach the other red clip to the positive terminal of the other car.
3. Attach one of the black clips to the negative terminal on the other battery.
4. Attach the last black clip to an unpainted metal surface on your car that isn’t near the battery.
5. Start the working vehicle and let the engine run for a few minutes.
6. Try to start your vehicle and voila!
If you're not sure what you're doing, rather look up a professional in the Yellow Pages app.
5. Secure your phone with a D.I.Y holder
No road trip is complete without a trustworthy navigator to lead the way and although your co-driver might be fully equipped for the task, it’s always good to use a map app to get to your destination. If you don’t have a fancy phone holder to place your phone in while you’re driving, you can simply make one using an elastic band, pen and your aircon vent. Thread the elastic band through the top of your air vent and use the pen to pull it through the bottom. Then simply slide your phone through the two loops. Make sure the air vent is switched off for the rest of the journey.
If you can’t get your car ready for the road yourself with these hacks, simply turn to Yellow Pages to find someone to lend you a helping hand. Just like these classic hacks, Yellow Pages has been be a timeless go-to for South Africans over the years. But luckily timeless doesn’t mean out-of-date! This year, Yellow Pages launched their new app to literally bring you assistance at your fingertips. Download the app from your App Store or Google Play Store.
This post is sponsored by Yellow Pages produced by BrandStudio24 for Wheels24.
