Pre road trip checks

[vilasman]

I have a healthy cruiser that I drive every day... and I would not heesitate to put it on the road right now. Having said that.... I have gotten the time off work and wife has nixed getting plane tickets... we are going from DC to New Orleans to Oshkosh and back to DC... a 3 week trip in August.
What things should I get checked before I go so that I dont wind up on some dark road at 3 am in the middle of nowhere. I will change the oil before I go.... I am using mobil one 15k synthetic chaging at around 10k miles and I have done a drain and top off on the transmission fluid.

 

[TXLX100]

Check all 5 tires, have the battery checked, carry an air compressor, tire repair kit, jump box, jumper cables, extra headlight bulb, make sure you have gas, extra thermostat, extra drive belt, extra key, and a little extra food and water in case you do get stranded in the middle of nowhere.

 

[vilasman]

It maybe worth getting the heater T hose fitting changed, the thermostat before the trip.... the battery is only a year old..., I have never seen the spare so I will check that...it's there just never really lowered and checked it... thanks for the tips... Really I am taking it by my favorite mechanic...but he isnt a LC mechanic and was looking for anything to advise him on...

 

[stonepa]

Have the oil changed. Check the fluids. Check the air pressure in all 5 tires. Take a quick look at the hoses and drive belts. Done. You drive it every day so what could you miss? Sure, there are lots of things that could go wrong. They haven't yet and if you know your vehicle they probably won't on a trip like this. I took 2 long trips with my 98 LC with over 300k miles on it this year - Ohio to Death Valley by way of Seattle last fall. Ohio to Yucatan in Mexico this winter. Only issue was either an expiring starter or a faulty neutral safety switch before I left for Mexico. Never figured it out and it didn't leave me stranded. Not one single issue beyond that.

Now go have fun on your trip.