Mitsubishi Motors suggest ways to avoid breaking down on holiday The last thing you want is for your car to let you down while you’re on holiday. So what should you check prior to a trip to avoid this?
The most common cause of breakdowns is the car battery (Green Flag Motoring Assistance says this accounts for 46 percent of their call-outs). If you don’t know how to check your battery, take it to the garage. If it’s more than five years old, the chances are that it will need replacing anyway.
Tyres are easy to check for wear and damage while you’re checking their pressure. You do check your tyre pressures regularly, don’t you? Your car handbook may recommend increased pressures to cope with the additional load from holiday luggage and towing.
Check oil, brake fluid, water, and other fluid levels. If these need a considerable amount of topping up, it could be the sign of a more serious problem that might merit further investigation. Don’t leave this check until the night before you set off.
Towing very rarely causes mechanical problems with cars, but can sometimes highlight a developing issue. One example is inefficient engine cooling. Over time, the radiator may become partially clogged with sludge. In effect, this reduces the radiator capacity, which results in the engine running hot. Often this isn’t noticeable in normal use, but the additional load from towing works the engine harder, and makes the problem more noticeable. It’s not a major job to have the radiator removed and flushed out. For higher mileage cars (especially if towing a larger caravan) this might be worthwhile.
Don’t forget the towbar. It’s vital that all bolts are correctly tightened, and that there’s no significant wear or corrosion on the parts. If you don’t know the correct torque settings, contact the towbar manufacturer or go to a specialist towbar fitter for an inspection. Remember that over-tightening can cause failures just as under-tightening can, so use a torque wrench and the correct settings.