Swollen Nuts and Other Travel Perils

Swollen Nuts and Other Summer Travel Perils If you google, “how do I get my car ready for my summer road trip,” you will get very similar AI generated articles talking about stuff like checking tire inflation and condition, checking air conditioner operation, letting people know when to expect you, making sure that your cell phone is charged, yada, yada, yada. These are all important, and we’ll cover each in detail prior to our captivating nut explanation. The main point is that the best way to have your car ready for summer travel is to make sure that it is in good shape all year. Follow a maintenance schedule to make sure wear items, like spark plugs, belts, and hoses, are in good shape. Changing vital fluids, like transmission fluid and coolant, immediately prior to a trip probably will not have any impact upon having a safe and timely arrival, but having them changed at recommended intervals for the years before your trip might. Failure to properly keep vital fluids in your car fresh will shorten the life of the components that utilize them, but this happens over a longer time. On the other hand, having fresh motor oil and brake fluid with a sufficiently low moisture content can help prevent very bad results. Extremely dirty, or worn out, motor oil could stop your in your tracks, and brake fluid with high moisture content can do the opposite. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. As moisture content rises, the boiling point lowers, and the extreme heat from “panic braking” can cause brake fluid to boil and compress. For this reason and to help prevent rust damage to expensive components, virtually all car manufacturers recommend replacing brake fluid every three years, or sooner. o So here is a quick pre-trip check list: o Check tire pressure and condition, including the spare. o Check engine oil and coolant. Make sure that each is clean and full. o Check all lighting. o If you may need directions, bring a map. You never know if you’ll lose cell coverage. o Charge your cell phone prior to the trip, bring a high-quality phone charge, and consider purchasing a high quality flashlight that can also recharge your phone or other devices. If you are thinking about having your vehicle checked out by a professional prior to loading up your family and all of your favorite stuff and heading across the country (which is a pretty solid plan if you think about it), plan ahead. The Bureau of Automotive Repair estimates that the current automotive technician shortage is about 800,000, nationwide. This means that you will probably want to make an appointment a week or two prior to the trip.. By now, you’re probably thinking, “Great Dick, we know that stuff. How about you stop beating around the bush and get straight to the swollen nuts?” Fine, that stuff was all pretty pedestrian. Here you go. Several manufacturers have encountered issues with chrome-capped lug notes; the two with the most problems are Ford and Chrysler. With these and other vehicles, moisture can become trapped under the cap, causing the lug nuts to deform. When this happens, it can be impossible to change a flat tire. Prior to departure, make sure that your tire iron fits your lug nuts so that you will have the ability to change a flat tire. If your nuts are swollen, replace them with solid steel nuts. A similar concern is locking lug nuts. Car dealers install these either to increase profitability or because they actually believe that wheel theft is a big concern. (The crack staff at Sant Automotive believes that tire and wheel theft is “so 1980s.” Crooks usually steal the entire vehicle, but I digress.) There are two major problems with locking lug nuts: 1.) Many motorists have no idea of how to find the key; and, 2.) The keys may break. Either way, it will be tough to change the tire. We recommend going back to regular lug nuts. In conclusion, do all of the normal stuff, but make sure that your nuts are ready for a long road trip. Happy motoring and have a great summer!

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