Along with hot summer weather comes the time for many to get away for trips near and far. Those who have been cooped up in an office, or hard at work outside for that matter, may be ready for a vacation. But making sure the family station wagon, minivan, or whatever you drive, is ready as well is important to making the trip a success.Warnings To HeedFresh Oil And The Right Mixture

Ensuring your vehicle is up to date on its maintenance can be the difference between getting a break from it all or having a break down somewhere between here and there - and missing it all.

Area shop owners advise people to make sure their cars are road worthy before going off on that long-awaited trip. Many auto shops will offer free inspections of some sort, including checking battery and antifreeze, and other fluids.

"There are a lot of things that can happen," said Danny Amaral, owner of Amaral Motors, noting that a fuel pump, for example, can go bad.

Although anything and everything can be checked, there is a long list of items that need to be looked at specifically before a trip, shop owners said. This includes fluids, hoses, belts, filters, brake pads, tires, batteries, and windshield wipers.

It is best, of course, to have the car maintained regularly to avoid having that fuel pump fail and turning a vacation adventure into a side-of-the-road nightmare.

"My job is for you to drive your car in to me and not get it towed in," said Nick Kopcik, owner of NJK Automotive, located at the Sunoco Gas Station at 75 South Main Street.

Mr Kopcik noted that keeping up on routine maintenance is key to cutting down on the chances of needing a tow, and added that he and his mechanics will discuss upcoming needs so the car owner can plan ahead for upcoming expenses, such as brake pads and tires.

"If you wait until the week before vacation you could be spending your vacation money repairing your car," Mr Kopcik said.

Mr Kopcik pointed out that cars have maintenance schedules, with some mileage points requiring more significant - and more costly - services than others that may only mean an oil change and quick look over. Mr Kopcik said a car owner should plan to spend an average of roughly $100 per month over a three-year period, but noted that brake jobs and replacement tires raise that amount, for older vehicles. That number can be lowered to an average of about $80 monthly for a new car, he said.

Mr Kopcik said short trips, sometimes referred to as "staycations," are popular these days, meaning more people are driving on their vacations than in the past. Mr Kopcik said this has been an especially busy year at the shop. The state of the economy and rates for leased cars impact business, he said.

Vehicle owners may be guilty of ignoring - or putting off, due to busy lifestyles - squeaky brakes, loose belts, or that growing hole in the exhaust. There are a multitude of issues, some obvious, others not so much, that drivers need to address to be safe on the roadways.

"The most common things are the check engine light and warning indicators on the dash," said Eddie Jensen, owner of Jensen Tire, Auto & Marine, LLC, which has shops in nearby Monroe and Trumbull. "Even though the car is running right and there are no issues, things should be checked. The potential to find things wrong is always there. It doesn't mean it needs to be fixed then, but it's good to know what's going on."

Codes have to be cleared from the car's computer and if the light eventually shuts off but the code is not cleared, once the car is finally taken to a shop the mechanic may take longer to diagnose, since old and new codes will show up, Mr Jensen said. There is a lot the car computers have to do, meaning the longer one waits, the more complicated - and potentially expensive - the diagnosis.

"The computers in cars are smarter than any computers you can imagine," Mr Jensen added.

Mr Amaral noted that a check engine light indicates some kind of fault that needs to be addressed, but it can be as simple as a gas cap not being properly tightened.

In addition to having fresh oil in the car, a vehicle also needs to have the proper mixture of antifreeze and water. If too weak, the water can boil and cause the engine to overheat, or even crack, Berkshire Motors owner Jim Marcucilli said. Belts and hoses need to be checked; if brittle or spongy they should be replaced, the Berkshire Road shop owner added. A car's air conditioning system, if not running at full strength, can be charged for comfort.

Unless it is raining, wiper blades are often forgotten about when people are behind the wheel.

"People don't think about their wiper blades until they're in the rain and they try them and then all of a sudden it's streaky," Mr Marcucilli said.

"You only use [wipers] one percent of the time, when you need it, but [wipers are] really, really important," Mr Marcucilli said.

Mr Jensen recommended getting oil changed regularly, rotating tires, and keeping tires properly inflated for the longevity of tread and for better gas mileage.

Mr Marcucilli added that just because tire tread is in good shape does not necessarily mean the tire is safe for very long. Age contributes to dry rot, he noted. If a tire is low it will result in wear, but if it is overinflated it can cause the tire to pop, said Mr Marcucilli, adding, "It's very important to have proper inflation."

Something that will not result in a car breaking down, but is a health issue, Marcucilli notes, is the bad smell that can result from mice nesting around the cabin filter. He added that this is very common given the amount of woods surrounding area residences, and that filters can be replaced at the shop.

Adding to the potential for car trouble while on the road is the possibility the car will not start. Batteries may be tested to ensure the car cranks over throughout a vacation. A car battery may do its job time after time, for years, then one morning the car will not start, Mr Marcucilli said. "Sometimes you do get a warning that your battery is failing and sometimes you don't," he added.

At Berkshire, the trained ears of the mechanics can detect, based on the sound of the car turning over, if a battery is on its way out, Mr Marcucilli said.

Mr Kopcik added that weather extremes - hot summer days and frigidly cold winter days - can do in batteries, alternators, water pumps, and radiators.

"When the temperature gets really hot or really cold that forces cars into failure," Mr Kopcik observed.

Vehicle owners should take into account what type of driving they do to consider how often repairs need to be done. City driving puts a strain on the engine and transmission and wears parts out faster, Mr Kopcik noted. Racking up mileage on the highway may result in the odometer turnover, but it can mean the car will turnover with less problems since the engine has a chance to warm up and the car cruises at a consistent speed in a high gear. "That's beautiful for a car. That's going to make the car last longer," said Mr Kopcik.

Mr Jensen suggested to vehicle owners that they find a reputable shop they are comfortable with and stick with that shop, rather than bouncing around to save a few dollars, because the shop mechanics become familiar with the vehicle and a good relationship can be established between the shop owner or mechanic and customer.

While there is always a risk of car failure, it behooves car owners to make sure a vehicle is as ready as possible for summer vacation.

"Some cars make it," cautioned Mr Amaral, "but on the other hand, when you break down where are you? You're at the mercy of whomever comes to help."