Long road trips are a staple of Canadian summers – where people can finally spend their holidays driving across the country under clear and bright skies. However, these long trips can cause extensive wear-and-tear on your car, leading to costly repairs and maintenance and shorter operating life.
You can minimize the harmful effects a road trip has on your vehicle and prevent any situation requiring emergency roadside assistance by taking your car for a proper post-road trip inspection. To keep your vehicle in its best possible shape, you need to perform several tasks that go beyond the routine maintenance you offer your car.
Here is a short checklist we have prepared for your car after a long summer road trip.
Clean The Interior
Road trips usually involve eating in the car most of the time, especially if you travel with kids who seem to want a snack every two to three hours. That means you’re going to end up with some stains and food crumbs in your car on your road trip, so you will need a vacuum to clean up the mess.
Before vacuuming, don’t forget to take out larger items such as straws, wrappers, bottles, coins, and others. Once this is done, start vacuuming the seats and carpeting to remove dirt and dust – make sure to get every nook and cranny. Eating and drinking in your car means that you are bound to spill something on the floor or a seat, like bbq sauce, ketchup, coffee, or juice stains.
Use the right cleaning products to wash off any stains from the car’s interior without damaging the polish.
Check Your Tire Treads
Once you reach home after a long journey, check your tires for any cracks and damages as they can suffer major wear-and-tear on the road, especially while driving on unpredictable terrain. Worn-out tires can also create traction and stability issues under extreme weather conditions. A low tire depth can minimize your tires’ safety and performance, so you might need to get them replaced.
Apart from this, dust and dirt particles can get stuck on your tires markings resulting in a flat tire on your next drive. Therefore, you should wash your car’s tires using a designated cleaning product to prevent any wheel damage. Ensure that the air pressure level of your wheels is high when you get back home. If not, then take your car to an auto-shop immediately to avoid any punctures.
Oil Change & Refueling
The fuel level of your car can drastically change after a road trip, especially when you are carrying a lot of luggage inside the trunk because the wheels of a heavy vehicle use more fuel throughout the journey. You might need an oil change after your trip. Therefore, we recommend taking your car to a workshop where the mechanic can tell you whether your vehicle needs refueling and oil change.
In case you are not planning to use your car for some time, add a fuel stabilizer to your tank to prevent corrosion while it sits in your shed or garage.
Top Off Your Fluids
People usually check their car’s fluid levels before going on a journey, but it’s good practice to check it afterward too. Ensure that your car’s fluids are not below the recommended level – these fluids include engine oil, coolant, oil, brake fluids, and windscreen wash. This can help you avoid unnecessary breakdowns in the future when you use your car.
Run A Diagnostic Check
Take your car to a mechanic to get a system diagnostic check-up done to determine any potential problems your vehicle may have after a long road trip. Diagnostic tests can reveal issues within your car’s engine, exhaust system, lights, brakes, and other major components, as well as performance issues with the ignition coils, fuel injector, and throttle, etc. – saving you expensive repairs in the long run.
Check Your Battery
Car batteries can be very unpredictable. Therefore you should take your car to an auto shop and check for any issues and ensure it won’t break down due to a dead battery. Most mechanics offer a battery test free of any charges, but you can also buy devices to test your car’s battery yourself. If you have not replaced your battery for some years, consider changing it, so you won’t have to face any problems the next time you use it.
Wash The Exterior
After cleaning the interior and completing all systems check-ups, it’s time to wash your car’s exterior. Much like before the trip, a car wash is important afterward too, to get rid of the dirt, mud, and dust on the exterior. If not removed immediately, it can ruin the paint and finish of your car. So, get that bucket of water and cleaning product ready, and use a sponge to wash off the grime.
Only use those car cleaning products designated for your car to ensure that you are not damaging your vehicle’s paint. Start from the top down and go all the way to the underside of the vehicle. Make sure you remove all the dirt and grease thoroughly, protecting the car’s finish from scratches.
Checking your car before a long drive is important. But checking it after a road trip is equally important. After a long journey, your vehicle is as drained as you are, so getting it checked, cleaned, and undergoing maintenance is necessary. Remember this short car maintenance checklist every time you return after a fun road trip.
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During the winter season, snowstorms and blizzards that severely disrupt the city’s regular routine are the norms. Nevertheless, drivers still groan in despair when winter approaches. The challenges this season ushers onto the Canadian roads clearly explain every vehicle owners’ dreads and fears, as these winter blizzards and storms lead to more cars being stuck on the road for long hours.
This kind of weather is not a surprise for the locals as they know that Canadian winters can be fierce. However, immigrants and tourists often struggle to overcome the difficulties such situations bring. To be fair, despite Canadians being familiar with the country’s surprising weather, the situation of being stranded on the road with a broken car in the middle of a snowstorm is equally as stressful for them.
Naturally, roadside assistance providers and tow truck companies are looked upon as glimpses of hope in such terrible weather. However, if these service providers are not careful enough, towing in the winter can result in further damage. The slippery roads with patches of ice after every few meters make towing even more dangerous. In addition, there is also the unclear and blurred vision that the snow brings, which can further complicate the problem.
As the most trusted roadside assistance and towing service providers across Ontario, we precisely understand the difficulty of such circumstances. As a result, we shall use today’s blog to put forth some tips for tow truck drivers for efficient and vigilant towing in winter. Vehicle owners should also stay abreast of these tips to ensure that the towing service provider they hire follows these directions.
Nobody ever plans to have a flat tire, overheated engine, or an accident but such is life. No matter how carefully you drive, accidents still happen and vehicles still break down.
In cases like these, a tow truck can come to your rescue. They can tow your car or truck to the service shop or to a safe place. To do the job safely and correctly the towing company you hire should be experienced and have trained staff or they could end up doing more damage than good. Therefore, it is important to 
If you are a rider then it’s time that you relive your passion for motorcycle riding. The joy of biking across curvy roads on a two-wheeler is unmatchable. But before you get on the road and start your ride there are a few things you should take care of.
While the excitement of bringing your motorcycle out of your garage and on the road is running high there are a few things you need to do in order to ready your motorcycle for a smooth riding experience. It is important that you prepare your bike for every season, preparing your bike for the ride will help ensure your safety.
If you and your motorcycle are not fully ready for riding, you may run into problems with your motorbike and end up having to wait for roadside assistance. So, to avoid any of this from happening it is important that you follow some of these tips to ready your bike for riding. In this blog post, we outline some of the tips that will help you prepare your bike for riding.
Has your car been sheltering in your driveway for months due to one reason or another? Whether you were too busy to take your car out or didn’t have anywhere to go, it is important to understand that your vehicle can develop a bunch of costly issues if you don’t exercise its motors every now and then.
Experts say that even if you don’t have anywhere to go, you should drive your car for at least 20 minutes each week. This will help keep its battery charged and prevent rust from building up on the brakes and calipers from seizing up.
Some of the most typical problems that your car could develop if you were to leave it unattended for a few months include:
Car insurance is as important as insuring your house. If you have invested thousands of dollars into your car, it is a good idea to get your car insured in case you meet an accident or have to hire a tow truck company or roadside assistance.
Even though roadside assistance services are highly convenient and provide cost-effective services promptly, many individuals find it daunting. They are reluctant to call a tow truck or 
People can sometimes forget to take their keys out of their ignition and get locked out of their vehicle. Especially when you are running late for something, your focus is on reaching your destination in time, and the thought of taking your key with you escapes your mind. Having your car locked with the keys inside can be a frustrating sight, but on a stranded highway at night, especially when alone, can be extremely dangerous.
A car lock-out can be inconvenient and embarrassing if you do not know what to do next. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you must contact a local professional car lock-out service such as Ontario Towing. People often try to unlock their cars using a few common workarounds. However, such methods can damage your car. Therefore, it is best to leave this job to the experts of 
Mobile tire service is a very effective and efficient service provided by a professional towing company. There are many situations where you can get help through this service. Tires prove to be the most vulnerable part of your vehicle. Despite your due care and maintenance, anything can happen to your vehicle’s tires while driving on the road.
Parking enforcement ensures that cars and vehicles are parked at their designated places. Tow truck companies offer this service to ensure that there are no blockages and inconvenience to the people driving or walking on the road.
Have you got yourself locked out of your vehicle and wondered what to do? It’s normal to feel stressed when you accidentally forget your keys inside your automobile. The best you can do in a car lockout scenario is contact a trustworthy vehicle locksmith near you for professional assistance.
You could face any of the various vehicle lockout scenarios at some point in time, including lost car keys, forgetting the keys inside your locked car, breaking the key, a damaged vehicle door lock, and more. Finding the best car locksmith isn’t that simple; it takes much research and thoughtful consideration.
We will now discuss certain things you should look for when choosing a professional car lockout company: