If you are planning on taking a road trip, one of the most important things that you can do is to make sure that you take care of any maintenance or repair jobs that may be necessary in order to make the entire trip both pleasant and safe for you and anyone else that may be joining you on that trip. Listed below are three auto maintenance tasks to perform when planning a road trip.

Replace Cabin Air Filter

One of the first things that you should consider having done when planning a road trip is to have the cabin air filter in your vehicle replaced if necessary. The reason for this is that the cabin air filter is responsible for filtering out the dust and debris that tends to get into your car through your heating and air conditioning vents.

When the cabin air filter is clogged and dirty, it can restrict airflow from your heater or air conditioner while also resulting in dust and allergens getting into the vehicle's cabin. This can result in an unpleasant smell in the vehicle's cabin in addition to unpleasant allergic reactions for you and your passengers, such as coughing, sneezing, and irritated eyes.

Have Your Wheels Aligned

Another job to make sure that you have done when planning a road trip is having your wheels aligned. Over time, the wheels on your vehicle can become misaligned due to everyday driving or if you tend to have to drive your vehicle on rough roads.

When the wheels on your vehicle are misaligned, things can actually become a bit dangerous for you, as the vehicle will attempt to pull to one side when you are driving. This means that you must constantly work to keep the vehicle in the correct lane and on the road, which can be a bit of struggle on a long road trip where you may be driving for several hours every day. 

Repair Damaged Windshield

Finally, you will want to make sure that you have a damaged windshield repaired or replaced before going out on your road trip. One of the reasons for this is that you never know what kind of weather conditions that you may run into while on your road trip, so if you have a minor crack or chip in your windshield and end up driving somewhere where it is quite cold, the cold can actually cause the crack or chip to expand and impact the overall strength of the windshield. In addition, any cracks and chips in your windshield can actually obstruct your vision, which can make it much harder for you to see any obstructions in the road or changing road conditions early enough for you to take action to avoid those obstructions or changing road conditions.

Drop by an auto repair shop like Leo's Automotive in order to have your entire vehicle inspected and to discuss what maintenance tasks need to be performed before heading out on a road trip. When planning a road trip, ensure that you have the cabin air filter replaced, your wheels aligned, and your windshield replaced or repaired.

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