Getting Ready for College

Wow, it’s August already. Many of you have children who will be taking a car to college. What should you do to prepare – the car that is! Our experience has shown that college students will not do anything to maintain their car while at school. Putting gas in it is the only attention the car will get between now and Christmas.

The first consideration is how will the car be used? Is it just going to get them to the campus and then be infrequently driven? Or, is it going to be making many trips back and forth or to work/study sites? We see many student vehicles that are driven 20,000 miles per year.

I recommend that the parent take the car out for a test drive on both city streets and on the highway. Young drivers are often very accepting of potentially unsafe conditions. They do not have experience and judgment on what sounds and sensations are normal versus what should be looked at. They often would rather ignore a problem than deal with the inconvenience or cost.

Following the parent test drive, bring the car somewhere that you can get an overall inspection of the vehicle’s condition. Discuss your own observations and the findings of the technician with your service provider and ask them to prioritize needs based upon the probable usage.

Don’t wait until a few days before your student is supposed to head off, have the car inspected at least two weeks in advance. You also want to allow time for the car to be driven after the repairs to ensure there are no follow-up repairs necessary. If you wait until the last minute your student’s departure could be delayed or plans for which car they take could suddenly change.

You should have the brakes checked and ensure that they will last for the expected mileage of the next six months. Have the tires checked for wear, rotated and balanced. Is the tread depth adequate? You don’t want an inexperienced driver traveling at highway speeds in the rain on tires with low tread depth. Have the tires aligned if that has not been done in the past year.

Have the oil changed now, even if it is not due yet. Your student won’t have it changed when it becomes due. Have the belts and hoses checked. Have the radiator coolant system checked. It may already be overdue for a coolant flush. Ask your service center to check the operation of the heater, does it get as hot as it should? Remember that summer is almost over, and two thirds of the time that the car is away will be in cooler weather.

Ask for a free battery test. The car may be starting fine in the heat of summer, but when cooler weather comes in the Fall the battery may not be reliable. A name brand battery is usually good for four to five years. A discount store battery is often only good for two years.

Look in your records to see if the timing belt has been replaced yet. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the timing belt at 105,000 miles. The timing belt is not the belt that is visible when first opening the hood, it is buried behind several covers and obstructions. Many times the student vehicle is a hand down from the parents and the timing belt replacement fell through the cracks. If the timing belt breaks while your student is away you will be dealing with an expensive repair in a locale where you don’t know any of the service providers.

Brian Klaubert has written for the Neighborhood News for six years, and owns Christian Brothers Automotive – Hamilton Mill on Braselton Hwy in Dacula. They have been voted Best of Gwinnett in both the Gwinnett Daily Post and Gwinnett Magazine.