How to go on vacation by car without suffering

January arrived and with it the first vacationers began to escape for well-deserved and long-awaited days of relaxation. Vacation is the time when you enjoy your family and friends and recharge your batteries with days disconnected from work. However, everything that is supposed to be perfect could be overshadowed by details that are not difficult to avoid.

We are talking about the precautions to take with the car if you are going on vacation in a vehicle. It is recommended to carry out a preventive check before starting to accumulate kilometers. because a mechanical complication could surprise us at the worst moment and with little capacity to react.

To find out what to look for before heading out on that long-awaited vacation, we contacted Marcos Soza, career director of the Duoc UC School of Engineering and Natural Resources at the Maipú headquarters.

The teacher is direct. “In Chile, the holiday movement begins at the end of December and therefore it is convenient to start preparing and checking the family car in advance. HASBefore you begin your vacation travel, I recommend reviewing and/or modifying, depending on the condition. “, he specifies.

The items to check and the steps to follow for the exam according to Soza are as follows:

1. Tires. These components are responsible for moving the vehicle, but they must also ensure the direction of forward and reverse travel, the suspension of the axles and maintain the rotational advance of the wheel, when the service brake is applied.

What is revised?

• Depth of the indentation or drawings, which has a limit of up to 1.6 mm and must be equal to or greater than the test points.

• Date of manufacture, given by the DOT specification in an oval located on the side of the tire, indicating the first two digits -39- the week of the year and the last two – 03 – the year of manufacture. In this case, week 39 falls between September 22 and 28, 2003. When should you be concerned about this date? if it has been more than 5 years. Only an examination by an expert can validate its use after this period of use.

• Inflation pressure, which should only be calibrated when the tire is cold or has not traveled more than 10 km. This pressure value is not universal and only what is declared in the user manual or on the label affixed to the central pillar of the front door is indicated as admissible.

2. Engine oil. This substance, responsible for lubricating and protecting the moving and internal parts of the combustion engine, undergoes accelerated degradation either due to very demanding use, or due to the absence or low use of the engine (short trips day after day). This implies that the properties declared by the lubricant manufacturer do not meet the minimum requirements of reducing friction, cleaning the engine interior or resisting fuel dilution, as well as oxidation and ‘acidification.

Observation: For the recommended mileage, the lubricant changed in the example is considered semi-synthetic in nature. Additionally, the oil change activity should also involve the replacement of the respective oil filter.

3. Fluid Levels: engine coolant, which is only filled with distilled water, Knowing today that the average lifespan of the coolant is between 60,000 and 240,000 km depending on the manufacturers (3 to 12 years).

4. Wiper blades. These components, which are now located in the rear window, also help to drain water that falls when it rains or when it is necessary to remove dirt that prevents good visibility for the driver. It is recommended to change every 6 months or when window cleaning becomes poor. It must be accompanied by a good windshield washer fluid.

Due to its constant exposure to the atmosphere, the pen’s sliding lip experiences hardening, loss of sections in its sliding zone (when activated and in the presence of ice or snow), and clogging with sediment hydrocarbons and other compounds.

If the issue of vehicle maintenance is resolved, we have everything ready to enjoy this well-deserved vacation. Now, if you want to reduce fuel costs a little, you will have to drive with certain precautions.

To know what recommendations we can follow when it comes to driving more efficiently, Goodyear has provided a series of tips.

• Keep the vehicle ready . The first recommendation for saving fuel is to perform basic maintenance on your car so that it runs one hundred percent. Heavily used air or fuel filters and clogged spark plugs, dirty injectors or not performing an oil change on time can lead to increased gas mileage.
• Check tire pressure . Constantly check the pressure. If you drive with underinflated tires, the resistance between the car and the roadway will increase, causing the engine to require more force and, therefore, more fuel to move. It is advisable to check your tire pressure every two weeks or after a long trip.
• Do not let the pond sink more than half . Fuels are extremely volatile. When the tank is full, fuel vapors have less room to accumulate, helping to prevent unnecessary evaporation. Therefore, try to fill up on gas before it drops below half.

• Are you detained? stop the engine . If you are stuck in traffic for more than 60 seconds, turn off the car. Otherwise, you will continue to waste fuel unnecessarily. Are you waiting for someone? Turn off the engine and start it when it appears.
• Drive slowly and steadily . Avoid starting suddenly and accelerating suddenly. Both of these actions only burn the fuel faster. In addition, the ideal is to drive calmly and regularly, knowing how to play with the inertia of the car. For example, don’t keep pressing the accelerator until you reach the traffic light, and once there, brake suddenly. If you know you’re going to have to stop, take your foot off the accelerator and let your car slow down on its own. This way you don’t waste fuel and when you brake the braking pressure will be less.
• Control the use of air conditioning . According to experts, the use of air conditioning directly affects fuel consumption. In town and at low speed, you can drive with the windows open and park it in the shade. But if you’re on the road, the opposite is preferable: roll up the windows and turn on the air conditioning to reduce friction with the outside air. Perform frequent maintenance, such as cleaning filters, as this can also affect consumption.