Trip Checklist
// Before you set off
Build a checklist for your trip
Pick the kind of drive ahead, add anything that applies, and get a short list of what to check, grouped the same way as the guides.
The list is built in your browser. Nothing is sent or saved, and closing the page clears it.
Your checklist
Tick items off as you go.
Tires
- Pressure checked cold against the door sticker
- Penny test across the tread of all four tires
- Pressure raised to the loaded figure in the manual, if it lists one
- Spare tire pressure, jack and wheel wrench checked
- Pressure rechecked after the first cold night
Brakes
- Pedal firm, with no new noises when slowing
- Brake fluid between the MIN and MAX marks
- Plan for long downhill stretches: lower gear, gentle braking
Lights
- Headlights, brake lights and signals all working
- Headlight lenses cleaned
- High beams tested, and dipped for oncoming traffic
View
- Wipers clear the glass without streaks
- Washer fluid full, with a winter mix in cold weather
- Inside of the windshield cleaned to cut glare
- Ice scraper and brush in the car
- Sunshade or sunglasses for low sun
Under the hood
- Oil level checked on level ground
- Coolant level checked with the engine cold
- Battery terminals clean and tight
In the car
- Phone charger, water and a small first aid kit
- Blanket, gloves and a flashlight
- Extra water for everyone on board
- Heavy items packed low and secured, nothing loose on the rear shelf
- Route, rest stops and someone told when to expect you
// Monthly walk-around
A ten-minute check, once a month
Four stops around the car, always in the same order, so nothing gets skipped. Most months it is all fine, and that is worth knowing too.
Walk around the car with a pressure gauge. Check each tire against the door sticker, run the penny test across the tread and look along both sidewalls.
- Pressure, cold
- Tread and sidewalls
Switch on headlights, then signals and hazards, and walk around once more. Check the brake lights with a reflection or a helper.
- Every bulb lit
- Lenses clear
With the engine cold and the car on level ground, look at oil, coolant, brake fluid and washer fluid, and glance at the battery terminals.
- Levels between the marks
- No crust or drips
Wipe the glass inside, test the wipers and washers, set the mirrors and make sure no warning light stays on after the engine starts.
- Clear view
- No warning lights
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