I am off on a road trip for about 10 days to north west Victoria at the end of the month and am working out what preparation I will need for my car. I have ordered some new O2 sensors as one of mine is a bit sluggish and a series 2 PTU because I don't want mine giving up in the middle of nowhere. Brake fluid is fresh and good, cooling system is working well and does not lose or discolour fluid, I have a bit of negative camber in my front wheels for track days so I will get a wheel alignment and get them back to neutral. I have a fresh filter and heaps of life left in my oil. Anything else? Also, what to take along? I am taking a basic tool kit, spanners, sockets, screwdrivers, hoses and clamps, tape, air compressor, oil, radiator water, might get a jump starter to take too. Thanks
make sure you take a spare wheel and jack....some tools etc...check all tyres and run a consult before you go so you know everything is A OK
make sure you have total care with racv. not so much for the mechanics but the tow trucks and extra benefits if needed
if you've got any long "middle of nowhere" roads, id pack an engine hoist... in case a hose splits lol in all honesty....this is why im buying a Supra to drive across the country in Something you CAN fix at the side of the road
2 rolls of ductape and some cable ties... ull be fine.. yeah wheel alignment big thing or you'll pop them and that will suck.. also.. spare wheel... dont take your space saver.. take a stock rim or something that 2 days in you can keep driving like normal and not have to limp home..
Pete.... dont panic so much, you'll be fine.. On such trips I usually carry a very basic tool set (which is always in the zed anyway), some water and some oil. Thats it. I'm thinking of even carrying some rubber hose incase the heater core were to start leaking.
your packing a lot in there, I think you need to make sure you can still have a passenger and space for clothes You seem to have most of it covered, maybe a quick looking over at Joe's since you've had a few track days just to be sure?
Good idea, I will upgrade my membership before I go, I just have the basic one at the moment which is not much use outside major cities.
I hope no potential zed buyer reads this thread. My god, and then we wonder how zeds get such a bad reputation! It's just a 10 day trip, it's not like he's planning to circumnavigate the globe! Seriously, do you all stress this much when you stray a little from home? What makes it worse is that the OP's car is an NA! Guess we TT boys should get used to driving in our own backyard! Sorry if it sounds like i'm having a bitch, but zeds aren't THAT unreliable, are they? -Kirill
Don't forget your Barry Manilow CD collection. Wouldn't play it to loud out west though. Better take some Silm Dusty too!
Lots of long middle of nowhere roads, probably mostly out of mobile phone range I figure if I take a basic kit to bodgey up any repairs I need to I can limp to civilization if I am careful.
Hehe Does make it sound a bit tragic, doesn't it? You are mostly right, my car has proved itself to be pretty bullet proof in the years that I have had it and I have no reason to expect this trip to be any different. The only reason I made this thread is I was going to take it to Joe to get a check up before I left (as I would with absolutely any car before a 10 day (minimum) trip, probably doing quite a few thousands of kilometres on roads in all sorts of dubious conditions and often well out of mobile phone range) and thought instead I could do the check up myself. One of the reasons we are taking my Zed rather than my girlfriend's 96 Corolla (other than comfort and style :zlove is that it is actually more reliable and on the highway is more economical. Basically your point is valid though and I should have been more clear in my initial post, I am not expecting any trouble at all, I just want to be prepared for the worst however unlikely it may be as I could find myself really really stuck if something were to go wrong at the wrong time on this trip. I would take the same precautions with pretty much any car for this trip.
OK, it seems I have not been as clear as I should have been in writing my original post, I am not panicing about what will go wrong, I was going to take my car in to Joe to get a check up before the trip (as I would with any car before a long trip to the middle of nowhere on bad roads) and thought I might be better served learning how to do the check up myself. Thanks for everyones vote of confidence in my car though, I am sure it will be fine too, I just need to brush up on my writing skills.
A Billy can? need to have a brew on the travels nothing like billy tea on the side of the road:zlove::zlove:
