Retirement and road trips go hand in hand for many people. But they don’t always go off without an automobile glitch when logging hundreds if not thousands of miles. No travel is guaranteed problem free in this world. Instead of just worrying about all the possibilities or ignoring all risks, it’s best to take simple precautions. Actions to either prevent or handle the hiccups of road tripping in retirement. Nobody wants what would normally be a nuisance to turn into a dreaded road trip nightmare. One that ruins or at the very least negatively weighs on the experience. Here are a few tips that can save retired road trippers time, worry, and money when it comes to automotive travel hiccups.

Handling Typical Auto Hiccups Of Road Tripping In Retirement

It doesn’t matter whether we’re taking to the road in our trusty and reliable cruiser or renting one. Even as reliable as the newer cars are these days, mishaps and failures can happen to anyone. And most importantly, they can happen anywhere. It seems to me that the rules of universe dictates that if they are to happen, they must happen in the most inconvenient places and times. It’s one thing for our car not to start in our own driveway. It’s another story when it happens at the gas pump or our hotel.

Basic pre-trip preparation tips:

There are certain road tripping in retirement realities to keep in mind.

• There isn’t always going to be cell service on our route.
• We can’t always rely on the kindness of strangers stopping to give us a hand. It may come to that. But it’s best to be prepared to handle what we can so that we can be safely on our way.

Make sure the car is serviced and ready.

I inspect everything the best I can, including checking all my tail lights, brake lights, signals, and headlights to see that they are all working. My next move is to have my auto servicing done by getting a fresh oil change. I do this a couple of weeks before departing. Where I take my car for oil changes they also rotate my tires and inspect the brakes. If not offered as part of the oil change package, I also request an inspection of all fluids, belts, and hoses to make sure there isn’t anything that should be addressed. That way if something needs to be replaced or repaired I have time to get it finished without panic and stress.

It’s also important to keep up with recommended service intervals for things like tune-ups and transmission fluid changes. The first step to an enjoyable road trip is having confidence in our automotive magic carpet that we’re relying so much upon.

Find and remember where the car’s owner’s manual is.

Nothing can cause road tripping in retirement panic like a warning indicator light popping up on your dashboard. Usually our car’s owner’s manual will give a hint as to what might be the problem and its seriousness. It also will tell us where things like the spare tire, jack, and lug wrench are stored. So many people have no idea where these are located in their vehicle.

I rented a Dodge Caravan last fall to drive through 4 States to take the grand-kids to Disneyland.

I would have never found the spare had I not reviewed the owner’s manual before we left for the trip. Fortunately I found the owner’s manual in the console. Its spare tire was tucked up in the middle of the van behind the engine and transmission. I then made sure it was there, dropped it down, and checked to verify the tire pressure. It wasn’t needed during our road trip but I had peace of mind.

Check that the tires air pressure is at recommended levels. Also inspect them for any visible damage, wear issues, nails, or screws.

Most new cars will display the tire pressure on the dash when going through the display options. That will indicate whether any of them are low and need to be topped up. That’s good for all but the spare tire in most cases, which needs to be manually checked. An inexpensive tire pressure gauge is usually needed to check the spare and when using an air pump to get them where they need to be. If one tire is abnormally under pressure compared to the others it can indicate that it may have a nail in it or a poor seal on the rim causing a slow air leak. Just before departing check all tires as well as possible before taking to the road for any nails or screws that may be embedded in the tread and get it repaired.

I’ve changed a tire or two on road trips over the years.

I had to change one tire on the interstate after picking up a bolt dropped by a construction truck in front of us. A box fell and scattered the case of bolts across the highway. It’s not only scary dangerous, but any flat tire is a pain in the keister no matter where it happens. When I do get a flat I prefer to replace it with the spare and head to the nearest tire shop. Those tiny doughnut spares aren’t made for traveling long distances.

But I also carry a 12v auto tire pump. I use a 12v air inflator from Lowe’s made by Kobalt. If it’s a slow enough leak I can pump it up and get to a tire repair shop. It also comes in handy when you get a low tire pressure sensor indicator on the dash. Aside from the typical nail scenario, this can happen with changes in elevation or colder temperatures on your trip. Running tires on the highway with low pressure not only eats into your gas mileage and tire wear, but they heat up and can cause failure.

When in a flat tire jam there are also many tire inflator flat repair aerosol products. I do carry a Fix-A-Flat can in my tool bag for an emergency. However, most newer cars have tire pressure sensors and even though these products say they are sensor safe, I have never tested that claim. I carry it to use as a last resort, like in the case of multiple tire failures. Your rear tire can hit the same puncturing item as your front tire did just a second before.

Battery failure can happen without warning.

Before leaving I always check my battery terminals to make sure there is no corrosion and everything is tight. Batteries usually come with a warranty. For instance, I buy car batteries guaranteed for 5 years. But when I hit that 5 years I proactively replace them whether they are acting weak or not. I do this because a battery can fail without warning. The first time an old battery encounters a high heat period or it’s first cold can trigger its failure. Even with my battery replacement habit, I carry a portable battery jump box to jump start my car just in case I ever encounter a battery failure. The days of standing somewhere holding a set of cumbersome battery jumper cables hoping and waiting for a little assistance from someone are over.

I just returned a few days ago from 8 days of road tripping in retirement where we traveled over 1700 miles in our car and experienced battery fun.

We were in day 5 and packed up ready to leave for another city and the final destination of our trip. Surprise! The car wouldn’t start due to a dead battery. Because it was only 4.5 years old I checked to see if we left a dome light on or something else that may have drained it overnight. There was no previous indication of battery fatigue.

I used a jump box to start the car and figured it would charge during our next 2.5 hour leg of driving. If not, then the battery had gone bad. I used a small jump box made by Viking that’s sold at Harbor Freight that I bought on sale for $60. In any case, we were able to leave from a spot that wasn’t conducive to fixing anything and be on our way.

Carry a basic tool bag.

It’s a good idea to carry a small tool kit when traveling. Not for doing any major mechanical work, just little things that can come up and be easily repaired.

I carry a small kit with a ratchet and associated SAE and Metric sockets, a few wrenches, pliers, needle nose pliers, and screw drivers. I throw into the tool bag a quart of oil, some WD40 spray, duct tape, and electrical tape. I’ve used items from my tool bag during road trips on numerous occasions. For instance, I needed the socket set to change out a burned out headlight bulb. The tool kit I have was bought decades ago during a Christmas season sale from Walmart.

As mentioned above, we experienced battery trouble last week on our most recent road trip.

We drove 2.5 hours, about midway to our destination. It was a good place to fill up the tank. But first I wanted to check the battery situation in a strategic spot. I parked in the parking lot of this little town’s Napa Auto Parts store and turned off the car to attempt restart but it failed. I went inside and made sure they had a replacement and had the store test it and it was indeed bad.

Their adjacent shop next door could change it for me but it was going to be a couple of hours before they could get to me, so I dug out my tool bag. Newer cars usually require removing more than just the battery tie down clamp and the battery cables. I used the tools to remove them. But also a structural support arm and the fuse box from the fender so that it could be slid up just enough to squeeze the battery out. The charge for the new battery was $53 less than the listed price. That was because I got a cash and carry discount. Not bad for 30 minutes of my time plus we were on the road again much faster than waiting for service.

Don’t let your fuel tank go below ¼ tank full.

No matter the road tripping in retirement temptation to push forward to another town, it’s always best to never run our gas tank below ¼ tank towards empty. Today’s cars have fuel injection and fuel pumps located inside the gas tank. They sit in the bottom of the tank and run constantly to keep the fuel system pressurized. It works it’s little heart out when driving at highway speeds for several hours on road trips. Like all electrical devices it gets hot when worked hard. Sitting in liquid fuel helps keep it cool. Run the tank down and half or more of your fuel pump will be exposed. It could possibly weaken or fail due to heat.

The other issue is fuel contaminants. Stuff like water and other light debris will most likely be floating on top of fuel. Run the tank down and it can be picked up by the pump causing it to plug its surrounding mesh filter or worse, pass the water or contaminant. Either case can cause engine shut down.

Have towing insurance and/or a service like AAA.   

Not everyone wants to tackle auto hiccups. There are also breakdowns that go beyond our capability and tool bag. That’s why it’s important to have towing insurance and/or a service like AAA. I make sure I have the telephone number of my insurance tow assistance saved in my phone. Having a single number to call who can find the nearest tow company and repair shop to tow to is a huge relief. Encountering a situation where we have to use the tow service or have someone come out to your location to change a battery or tire is going to impact vacation plans big-time with all the time delays, but at least we aren’t going to be stranded.

Other tips to get through auto hiccups while on a road trip

Be sure to place your jump box, tool bag, and air pump somewhere easy to get to when traveling. That way you won’t have to pull out all of your luggage first to use them.

Check the internet when you need to figure out how to fix something. I have found step-by-step replacement instructions online, even YouTube videos, for many DIY automotive repair issues.

When you get a pesky check engine warning dash light and your car seems to be running OK, you can go to any major auto parts store and have them pull the codes for you. Most provide this service at no cost. I have had this done at AutoZone and O’Reilly auto parts stores. One time I found out that the code that caused the check engine light was due to a loose gas cap. We just needed to simply tighten the gas cap for a better seal.

If you find your tool bag doesn’t have a needed tool to complete the task, many major auto parts stores will lend you the needed tool, sometimes without deposit if you buy your parts from them.

Vacation road tripping in retirement is definitely one of our biggest pleasures. We get to experience both the ride and the destination. This pleasure is tied to the emotional and mental experience of the trip. We can reduce the risk of a bad experience because of a nuisance auto hiccup by taking a few precautions before we hit the road.