What types of maintenance do I need before a long road trip?

hassan7

Hi,

I have a 2011 Toyota Camry, with 28K mileage on it. I did the maintenance 5 months ago, and during this time I used the car for 2K miles. I am planning to use this car for a long (40 hours, 3000 miles) road trip next week. Do I need to do any check/maintenance on the car? If yes, what kinds of maintenance do I need?

I can see in the car's maintenance manual that I need to inspect all fluids, replace cabin and engine air filters, replace engine oil, rotate all tires, and inspect a number of things like transmission fluid, brakes, engine coolant. Considering the fact that I used the car for just 5 months and 2K miles since the last maintenance, do I need to do all these maintenance before my travel.

I appreciate your response.
Thanks in advance
Hassan

stever

Assuming you are current on the scheduled maintenance, all I do is check the fluid levels and the tire pressure (including, when I remember, the spare). Forgot to check the spare this week - doing about 600 miles round trip right now.

Actually it's a good idea to check the oil level every time you fill up with gas and check the tires at least once a month.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh and check all the lights to make sure they're working properly, including the license plate lights--so that you don't get stopped on the road.

And make sure your AAA or whatever road service you use, is all paid up.