Holiday season is almost upon us

Well the schools are about to break up for the summer (private schools have already broken up)

Most people will be heading off on the annual holiday, all booked up and ready to go.

The car will be loaded (probably at some unsocial hour) and with all the family aboard the journey will begin.

But have you prepared your car for the journey? You probably only drive to work with a single passenger or maybe just around town dropping the kids off and then picking them up again.

A car fully loaded with all the family and 2 weeks of luggage is under a lot more strain than in a normal day to day drive.

So what should you do?

Best thing is to get the car serviced so that all the fluids and safety items are checked and corrected before you go. However, if you don't want (or need) a service there are some things you can do for yourself.

Check the oil and coolant and top up as required.

Check the brake fluid reservoir.

Look at all the belts that run the alternator and ancillaries to check for cracking and wear.

Check the hoses in the cooling system for leaks and cracks.

Check that all the light bulbs work. You could be driving for extended periods in the dark.

Top up the washer bottle and replace the wiper blades if they are worn.

Check your tyre pressures and increase the pressure to the manufacturers recommend pressure for the load you are carrying

Check the tread depth and condition of the tyres. The legal minimum is 1.6mm but the performance starts to drop off once you pass 3mm. Click for more info on how to check your tyre.

Check your spare tyre (if you have one) is pumped up and if safe to use.

Check you have fuel level. Running out on a motorway can ruin the start of the holiday and prove expensive.

Pack your warning triangle, high viz tops (one per person) and spare bulbs.

Consider taking out break down cover. Might seem expensive but a lot cheaper in the long run if you do break down on a motorway and need to be towed.

If you know that something is wrong with your car get it fixed, the chances are that the strain of a full load and extended high speed driving will bring a known problem out just when you don't want it.

If you are going to drive in Europe make sure you know the rules, and remember that speed limits on the French motorways change depending on the weather.

If you are going to be taking a caravan with you check the condition and tread of the tyres. If they are more than 5 years old then you might want to replace them. They might have a lot of tread but as caravans are not regularly used the tyres can start to age well before the tread is worn out. Here is some information on how to check your caravan tyres.

You might also want to get Tyron bands fitted, these help to keep the tyre on the wheel if you have a blowout and allow you to stay in control of your vehicle. Check here for more info on Tyron Bands

You can also ass a TPMS system (tyre pressure monitoring system) to your caravan tyres so you are alerted to problems as soon as they happen.

Remember, a holiday should be relaxing, you have been looking forward to it all year. All of these checks can be done in advance so you will have plenty of time to correct any problem. It will be safer and cheaper in the long run.

If you need your tyres changing call Hometyre on 0800 783 93 10 or 0333 444 5454 and we will come to you.