Whether you’re travelling down The Coast with the family, heading up to Cape York with your mates, or just spending a Sunday out on the tracks, caring for your four-wheeled drive before and after a trip is absolutely essential if you want to be driving it around for years to come.
Here at Spin Car Wash Chermside, we see a lot of muddy trucks come through and there really is no better sight than the grins of a crew on their way back from a 4WD trip. If you want to get into 4WDing (or off-roading, as it’s affectionately called), there are a few things that you need to do before and after to ensure the best experience for both you, and your car. Read on to find out what they are.
Is Your Car Off-Road Ready? What To Do Before Your 4WD Trip
Check Your Car For Faults
This is the most crucial part of your 4WD trip preparation. Check everything. Check your engine is running smoothly, check your oils are up to the right levels, check your coolant, your suspension, your tyres. Everything. There is absolutely nothing worse than descending down your favourite track, only to run into a mechanical or engine fault that really could have been avoided with a bit of preparation. If you’re going on a long trip, we’d recommend taking some of these supplies with you as well, just in case you run out while on the road. Some things you will be able to fix yourself (such as your tyres being underinflated), but some will require the assistance of a mechanic so be sure to check everything and have it fixed before leaving for your trip.
Make Sure You’ve Got Recovery Options
Getting bogged down or stuck where you don’t want to be is one of the easiest ways to kill the fun of a 4WD trip. It’s inevitable, really and when it happens, you need to have a good set of recovery options at your disposal. At the absolute least, we recommend investing in a set of Maxtrax or other recovery tracks. Maxtrax is the most widely used brand of recovery track as they are highly durable and relatively affordable. If you have got the time and money to invest in your rig, we’d recommend looking at a good winch as well. Winches are essentially a pulley system that you will be able to use to drag your car out of any sticky situation. A winch and a set of Maxtrax is likely to get you out of any trouble while on the road. You could go one further and get a set of Snatch Straps too, but you probably don’t need them if you’ve spent the money on a winch.
Prepare A Safety Kit & A Toolbox
Last but certainly not least, your car is not the only thing that needs taking care of. Always remember to prepare a safety kit and a toolbox. The toolbox will help get you out of any minor discrepancies, while the safety kit should be filled with personal emergency equipment such as (but not limited to); a fire extinguisher, a tarp, flashlights and extra batteries, antiseptic, bandaids and bandages, safety gloves and a knife of sorts. With these items on board, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to tend to any personal safety issues should they arise, or find your way to safety, should there be a real emergency with your car.
Done & Dusted, Literally: What To Do After Your 4WD Trip
Give It a Wash
After your 4WD trip, the first thing that you should do on your way back is to give it a good wash. The dirt on your car can be a lot more detrimental than meets the eye. If left unattended, the dirt can hold excess moisture and encourage rust to make its way onto your car’s exterior. Plus, it can actually increase wear and tear if it’s stuck onto moving parts. And that’s just dirt. If you’ve travelled to a beach on your trip, salt is your new number one enemy. Salt and salty water really gets into all of the little nuts and bolts and can rust your car from the inside out. The only way to avoid either of these things is to wash the car as soon as you can after returning.
Thankfully, if you are situated in Brisbane and you drive down Gympie Road to get home, you can drop into Spin Car Wash on the way for a detour through the auto wash tunnel or via the self-service bays. If your car really needs some TLC, it’s probably best you self-serve your scrub, so that you can spend the time getting into all of the hard to reach places.
Service Your 4WD
Lastly, it’s worth planning a service for your 4WD soon after a big trip. This may not be as essential for every small trip, but it is pretty important for those longer journeys. Servicing your vehicle upon your return will prevent any issues that arose while on the trip from getting worse. Plus, if you have also had a good check beforehand, you will be able to identify quickly any pain points that may continue to present themselves on these types of trips, in turn, helping you prepare better next time.
Are you ready for your next 4WD trip? If not, now is the time to prepare. And remember, Spin Car Wash is conveniently located on Gympie Road, Chermside to make your post-trip wash easy, quick and on the way. We can’t wait to see you then!