Advice on long trip preparation

[gear02]

I'm driving to chicago in May from North Carolina, which is about 14 hours. I've never driven more than 5. So I have a few questions regarding car maintenance before the trip.

What should I do to the car to make sure I don't break down in the middle? Should I get a tuneup? Oil change?

I've noticed that at high speeds, my steering wheel shakes more than normal. Is that a sign of alignment issues?

Mechmike, should I go to a Honda dealer around Durham or do you have another place that you'd recommend?

Btw it has 4 years on it and (don't laugh) about 20,000 miles.

[Daedalus]

What kind of car? The steering wheel shaking could be alignment, tire balance/inflation or a combination. Get that fixed--might as well rotate tires too while you're at it, and change all fluids, especially if any are original, like coolant, brake, tranny, etc. I once got stranded in BFE Colorado on a Friday with 2 flat tires and the lone tire shop open Saturday didn't have the speed-rated tires I needed. It sucked.

[gear02]

Honda Civic

[mechmike0034]

Four years and 20K miles is great! Have you followed the Owner's Manual maintenance schedule? I'd have it looked over - I am in the process of finding a trustworthy shop to send you to - but I wouldn't worry about doing anything that isn't due time or mileage-wise on your maintenace schedule.

Have it looked over, belts/hoses/fluids/tire pressures checked, battery load or conductance tested (if it is the factory battery) and address the vibration issue. If it is a four-year old factory battery consider going ahead and replacing it if your budget allows. Some last longer than that, but four years on a factory unit makes it old enough to think about changing it because the older it gets, the greater the chance it'll leave you unable to start the car at the most inopportune time.

The vibration sounds to me like wheel balance. If you don't know when the last time was the tires were rotated, have a rotation/balance done. This will also get the brakes looked at while the wheels are off.

There is a shop I know (not personally, but by reputation) there in Durham. I sent the manager an email and referred him to this thread. He'll be contacting me, and then I'll send you over there. I'm sure he'll be honest and fair and that there will be no problem.

Now, on to Obby's situation... I'll be in touch.

[cheapie]

dude...stop by! i'm 4 miles away from the higway you'll take. assuming you go up 77 to....crap. i was thinking 94. you'll likely take 80-90 over from cleveland.

no matter. i'll run down and meet you for lunch or something!

[gear02]

dude...stop by! i'm 4 miles away from the higway you'll take. assuming you go up 77 to....crap. i was thinking 94. you'll likely take 80-90 over from cleveland.

no matter. i'll run down and meet you for lunch or something!

I'm actually going to Cincinnati then to Indianapolis then to Chicago. Are you near there?

[ShawnLee]

Hmm, other than the car, I'd say personally, grab some wet-naps for yourself. Also, wear boxers and shorts so you can air yourself out down below because ain't nothing worse than that time when the parts of your body that should be moist are dry and when the parts that should be dry are moist.

[g222leav]

when me and my buddy drove from chicago to miami, then back in his 96 civic (est. ~100k miles on it)...just checked the fluids as well as oil and tune up, made sure the tires were good and we hit the road...

what cha doin in chicago?

[gear02]

when me and my buddy drove from chicago to miami, then back in his 96 civic (est. ~100k miles on it)...just checked the fluids as well as oil and tune up, made sure the tires were good and we hit the road...

what cha doin in chicago?

Going up for my summer internship at Walgreens.

[g222leav]

Going up for my summer internship at Walgreens.


no effin' way...which internship? pharmacy? management? corp? or WHI? lemme know if you have any questions, i've been with the company 3+ years, and i did the management internship last summer (well, it was really a management + pharmacy internship cause i was both)

[gear02]

no effin' way...which internship? pharmacy? management? corp? or WHI? lemme know if you have any questions, i've been with the company 3+ years, and i did the management internship last summer (well, it was really a management + pharmacy internship cause i was both)

Corporate I guess. I'm doing marketing. Where do you live?

[g222leav]

i live in the city of chicago...on the northside...

the corporate internship is really competitive and hard to get into, congrats. i decided not to apply this summer and just work cause i had decided to buy a car last summer

[gear02]

i live in the city of chicago...on the northside...

the corporate internship is really competitive and hard to get into, congrats. i decided not to apply this summer and just work cause i had decided to buy a car last summer

thanks. However, one weird thing is that I think Walgreens' intern program is mainly undergrads. I'm an MBA student so I think I'll be one of the oldest there.

[g222leav]

thanks. However, one weird thing is that I think Walgreens' intern program is mainly undergrads. I'm an MBA student so I think I'll be one of the oldest there.


eh, they usually send scouting teams to various colleges, so yea, the other interns last year either had just finished undergrad, or were still enrolled. i was 25 last summer, and i'm pretty sure i was the oldest. shouldn't really matter though.

[gear02]

eh, they usually send scouting teams to various colleges, so yea, the other interns last year either had just finished undergrad, or were still enrolled. i was 25 last summer, and i'm pretty sure i was the oldest. shouldn't really matter though.

so are you in deerfield or somewhere else?

[g222leav]

so are you in deerfield or somewhere else?

well, i live in the city of chicago..the corp. headquarters are in deerfield, there's actually a walgreens "campus" so to speak. it sounds like you'll most likely be down there at corp.

[gear02]

Mechmike, any news?

[Markel]

gear, just a couple of things to be aware of:

1) Coming from Indy to Chicago, you'll hit the infamous Indiana-Illinois border construction zone. Try to avoid hitting it during any peak times.

2) The "Dan Ryan" expressway (I-90/94 that leads up into Chicago from the south) is undergoing MAJOR reconstruction. Unless you are going directly to downtown/northside Chicago, consider going around on the toll road (I-294), or check into alternate routes. Take a look at http://www.danryanexpressway.com/ for more info.

[cheapie]

:stupid: he speaks the truth!

[mechmike0034]

Mechmike, any news?

Haven't heard back from the guy. I can't imagine it'd be a problem. The email address I have for him may not be current.

TIRE KING
1400 E.GEER STREET
DURHAM, NC 277040000
(919) 682-5184

Ask for Dean Porterfield. Tell him you heard about him from an internet friend.

Let me know if you get the runaround, but I doubt you will.

[gear02]

Thanks Mike and thanks Markel for the info.

For all you Chicago people, should I get an iPass for the summer? When I came up to interview, I ran two toll gates because I didn't have change and you guys up there don't have any manned booths! As far as daily commute, I go on 294 every day. Is it worth the $50?

[g222leav]

Thanks Mike and thanks Markel for the info.

For all you Chicago people, should I get an iPass for the summer? When I came up to interview, I ran two toll gates because I didn't have change and you guys up there don't have any manned booths! As far as daily commute, I go on 294 every day. Is it worth the $50?


MOST DEFINATLY!!! GET AN iPASS...if you don't get one you'll be charged double...for example most tolls are either 0.80 cents or $1.00, but if you have an iPass, not only will you save time on your trip, but it'll cost you either .40 or .50 depending on the toll. they did a survey about a year ago and commuters saved on avg. 10 mins off their commute. the cost savings alone is reason enough though.

[gear02]

Does the Ipass work on 294 (is 294 a toll road?)

[g222leav]

Does the Ipass work on 294 (is 294 a toll road?)

yep, so long as you're on any of illinois' tollways, the ipass will work, i think they're trying to get it work work with indiana's system

and yes, 294 is a toll road, a 0.50/1.00 toll at that

[speedracer120]

I believe Ipass is handing out EZpass compatible tags now. I used my EZpass on the IL toll roads and Chicago Skyway when I was there for spring break.

[Markel]

I'll add my vote to the "get an I-Pass" crowd if you're going to be here for any length of time. Half the price of cash tolls, and express lanes (travel through at full speed) at a lot of locations. (btw, most 294 tolls are .40/.80 until you get up farther north, where they converted one to .50/1.00 a bit ago.) When you're done, you can send the transponder back and get credit for any unused money left "in" it.

[gear02]

So I didn't go to the place that MechMike suggested, mostly because it's a bit too far from me (sorry Mike). I went to a firestone service center that looked pretty good and it was recommended to me by a friend.

I got an inspection and they recommended that I flush the brake system and fuel injection. They also recommended me to get 2 new front tires since I've never rotated them and as a result they don't have much tread left. In addition to the tires, they will balance and align.

All of this for around $600. Does this sound too much? I think it does. Btw my car is a 2002 civic with 20k miles, but I've never done any maintenance other than oil changes and one tire rotation about 3 years ago.

[attgig]

i absolutely don't trust firestones at all. i wouldn't do any of the things they suggested. just my $.02

check the tires yourself, and do the penny test. go somewhere else to get them rotated if they say you ahve to buy new tires. should cost you 20 bucks for rotation. at 20k miles, i can't imaging needing new tires, even if you never rotated them. (unless you like to drift or something...but i kinda doubt that =) )



flush the brake system? i don't think you need to. fuel injection? don't even bother with their treatment crap. don't do it.

[mechmike0034]

Brake system flush isn't a bad idea - brake fluid is hygroscopic (attracts moisture) and an occasional flush is cheaper than replacing corroded brake system components. The key here is time (four years) as opposed to mileage (20K). I'd do it.

Fuel system flush? Naah, not unless you're having a specific performance problem. As preventative maintenance it is unnecessary - I'd pass.

Tires - probably not a bad idea either - this could be the source of your vibration. Remember that FWD cars in general tend to be hard on front tires - they do all the steering, all the power transmission, and 75% of the braking, as well as supporting 60-70% of the vehicle weight. If they're worn, they're worn, and they won't be getting better by themselves. Your not rotating them may have contributed to this; not much you can do about it now but replace them and be more diligent about periodic rotation (which will spread the wear out over all four tires).

[Daedalus]

$600 is highway robbery no matter what. Regarding the fuel rail flush, this is my experience: I keep copious records on all my cars and I have a fuel rail/injector cleaner. I have seen mileage improvements on my vehicles after a flush, and my car with higher miles saw greater improvements. All three cars I've done the flush on have more than 125k, the granddaddy has 225k. However, the mileage came back down from the initial improvement within a few tankfuls till it was back to norm or close to it. Maybe I'm subconsciously driving easier after the flushes to make it appear the mileage got better? I don't know, but regardless, my few trials indicate no lasting improvements. Once I have enough data on my "new" ('94) with 51k, I'll do a flush on it to see if there are any lasting benefits. In theory if an injector has varnish build-up that affects the flow pattern a flush would improve mileage. That said, I've operated a fuel rail with 130k on a bench and the injector spray looked fine, and flow rate was within 5% of stated (human error?). It may depend on whether the car sits for long periods between runs.

[gear02]

Thanks guys. I figured it was too much money, but if Mike is right (and I would bet my car he is) I would be wrong in what I would trim. I thought maybe the tire thing would be stupid. But I think their prices aren't that much higher than if I went to costco.

The whole problem is that it's hard for me to get my car serviced, mostly because I refuse to sit there for 5 hours. Today I got a friend to drive me but that's just a major hassle. So, I just decided to screw it all and have it done now, regardless of cost (i didn't say that to them).

[mechmike0034]

So I didn't go to the place that MechMike suggested, mostly because it's a bit too far from me (sorry Mike). I went to a firestone service center that looked pretty good and it was recommended to me by a friend.

I got an inspection and they recommended that I flush the brake system and fuel injection.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enthusiasts/Mechanics_Tale/Mechanics_Tale_The_Flushing_of_America.S281.A10297.html

[gear02]

Alrighty, I'm almost ready to start my trip. I've tried several mapping programs (google, yahoo, mapsource, etc.) and I think the general idea is that it is a 15 hour drive. The only difference I've seen is whether to go through Cincinnati or Dayton.

I've never driven longer than 5 hours. I'm wondering how far I can go in one day.

[g222leav]

you'll be surprised...i suggust utilizing the cruise control, it definatly helps. have some good tunes, take frequent breaks to recharge and you'll make pretty good progress