Car Care 101: Preparing Your Car for the Summer

The warmer weather has finally arrived! The return of the summer also brings with it fishing trips, beach days and road trips. While we begin to plan out our summer adventures it is important to remember to prepare your car before all the fun begins!

Here are some helpful tips to prepare your car for the summer season:

Service your vehicle!

This is one area that I know a lot of people personally forget to do and I get it, it is easy to forget to book these appointments when you are booking three to six months in the future. It is important to make sure you are keeping up to date with your oil changes and services. Before you leave on any road trips, check your oil fluid. If you don’t know how to do this, either have someone teach you or make sure you have it checked by someone who is familiar with this process (for me, it is my husband that does this as I just can never remember how to check the fluid). Top up your windshield washer fluid and maybe think about storing an extra bottle in your trunk.

Remove Unnecessary Items from Your Car

Make sure you don’t clutter your car with unnecessary accessories from the winter including your car brush (which as I am writing this I know mine is sitting in the trunk of my car). Remove any extra salt that you may be keeping in your trunk. Clean out the inside of your car, removing toys, coffee cups, sippy cups and all the fun stuff that collects over the winter in your back seat. Try to leave as few items in your car as possible that are not tied down, as these items can become dangerous if you were ever to be involved in an accident.

Update Your Emergency Kits & First Aid Kits

Take out your emergency and first aid kits, check them for missing items and update them for the summer months. For our car that means adding in Reactine, Benadryl and AfterBite (you have to love extreme seasonal allergies!). You may want to include sunscreen and extra hats.

Organize, Organize!

Clutter stresses me out, I can’t stand looking at it (even if it is not my own mess!), I just feel like I need to rearrange the items. Trunk space should be viewed as the same, it is important to keep the area tidy and organized (if only for your own sanity!). You can pick up easy items from the Dollar Store to help organize your trunk space.

Ensure You Have the Insurance Coverage You Need

I can not stress the importance of having up to date insurance that is reflective of your current needs. If you don’t understand your policy, have the company review it with you. You don’t want to find out in an emergency that you don’t have appropriate car coverage. Don’t settle for your insurance rates, make sure you shop around for the best deal. If you have a good record, your rates should be reflective of this. You can now get an instant quote from Lowest Rates from the top Canadian insurance companies ensuring you are getting a top rate that is reflective of your driving records. You can use this to decide whether or not it would be financially wise to stay with your current company or make a switch.

Now that your car is prepared for the summer months, you can hit the road with confidence that you will be riding in a safe car that is fully protected!

How do you prepare for your summer travelling?