Planning a drive from Miami to Key West got me thinking about maintenance before hitting the road. Did a quick check on oil, brakes, and tires to avoid any surprises, since long trips can really rack up wear. It’s wild how much some service departments charge, but a little prep and knowing what you can do yourself keeps costs reasonable. The car’s feeling solid, so it should be a smooth cruise down the Keys without breaking the bank on unexpected repairs.
Miami , FL to Key West , FL ? That is not even 200 miles not what I would call a long trip.
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+1
According to Google Maps, it is ~166 miles. If someone’s vehicle is up-to-date with maintenance, no special precautions should be necessary, other than checking the tire inflation and… maybe… checking the oil if that task hasn’t been done in a while.
While most of my driving is more or less local, it’s not unusual for me to do a 200+ mile drive on a Saturday, and I don’t know anyone who would consider that to be a “long trip”.
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Your “long trip” is less than 2 days of my regular commute to work.
While it is certainly important to keep your car in good maintenance, worrying about making through the next half a tank of gas without a breakdown seems a bit much. I would hope you have your car maintained (or do it yourself) well enough that you don’t expect to be on the side of the road within the next couple hundred miles.
I’ve been hearing that service departments charge too much for 35 years. But I’ll add that the most expensive oil change is the one you skip.
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I have driven this route…. While not very long it is quite slow, especially in season. It takes quite a while to drive.
And you do not want to break down as you would likely require a tow back to Homestead for service.
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Yeah I can do that in a weekend. The orices were a little surprising. I paid $32 for a couple waffles at a Waffle House. $4 for a coke, etc. I had cash but no one takes it anymore, just tap and go. Tolls were another issue. Florida is very confusing with a half dozen options. I brought my own transponder and seemed to work. Trying to figure the difference in I psss and ez pass. Finally dawned on me that I pass is Illinois toll pass, call me dense but not late for dinner.
Nut just loose on wiper. No parts needed. I remember the year when the blower was just aimed straight up to Lear the piles. No fun so good luck.
I can understand your concern, that is a lot of 2-lane bridge travel. A tow in the Keys can easily exceed $200–$500+ depending on distance, as many calls require transporting a vehicle 30 to 50 or more miles to the nearest qualified repair shop.
However, the drive from Miami to Key West over the Overseas Highway driving about 100-miles on the 42 different bridges that connect various islands. The Longest Bridge, is just under 7 miles long. The entire trip takes about 4 hours.
This is a preview of what to expect… A lot of nothing if you do not like seascapes, bring lots of stuff to keep the kids busy (Are we there yet? 
) And don’t forget the Dramamine…
And finally, there are no official, dedicated state-run rest areas with picnic tables or bathrooms directly on the Overseas Highway (US-1) in the Florida Keys. However, the route passes through numerous towns, offering abundant private options for restrooms, food, and scenic spots.
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Fair point, it’s definitely not a cross-country haul. I probably called it a “long trip” more out of habit since most of my driving is short city runs, so anything over a couple hours feels bigger than it is. I agree that if the car’s properly maintained it shouldn’t be a concern, I just like doing a quick once-over for peace of mind before heading down the Keys.
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Well, that leads to the inevitable question of whether your car has been properly maintained. Because short-trip driving is the absolute worst type of driving for an engine, it is vital to change your oil on the basis of elapsed time, rather than on the basis of odometer mileage.
We don’t know the make, model, and model year of your vehicle, but as a point of reference, Toyota specifies “Every six months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first” for their contemporary cars & trucks that are driven mostly on short trips. For vehicles that are typically driven for longer distances, Toyota specifies 12 months/10k miles.
If you’re not changing your oil at least once every six months, then your short-trip car hasn’t been properly-maintained.
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That’s a smart thing to do even when you are not headed on a trip… Plenty of cars break down on short trips across town from lackadaisical care… Some of my neighbors do not look under their hoods… They let the technician do that when they get their yearly oil change or when the tire warning light comes on because the only time the tires are checked are when they are rotated with the oil change…
That’s a smart approach for a stretch like Miami to Key West where you don’t want surprises halfway down the Overseas Highway. Checking fluids tire pressure and brakes ahead of time really helps make the trip more relaxed.
@jon421553_196164
Its great that you checked the basics before heading out, but I think you might be oversimplifying things a bit. Long highway drives usually aren’t that ■■■■■■■ a car compared to short daily trips, so they don’t always rack up wear like that. And just giving the oil, brakes, and tires a quick look does not always mean everything’s road-trip ready stuff like coolant, battery condition, and tire pressure can matter a lot too, especially in Florida heat. Your confidence is good, but the prep you described sounds a little minima
Just back from a couple weeks down there. My advice is to take along some Tamaflu. The whole stste is bright red from outbreaks.
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Huh? Bright red from what and why would the Keys be any worse than Miami?
The deeper the color red was the incidence of flu by the epidemiologists categorizing the risk. And the whole state was deep red. I didn’t pay particular attention to the keys but the less populated, the less the spread. There is a range of symptoms that not everyone has but includes sore throat, weakness, etc. Go north you get ice and snow. Go south you get flu.
Those who have fallen victim to this year’s Flu strain say that it feels like they swallowed razor blades.
Odd, no elevated flu concerns in central Florida. Perhaps the exhaust gases from Speedweek and Bikeweek kills the virus
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Everyone at my house in WA (except me) was sick last week. My wife stayed home for 4 days, my daughter was sick, my son came home for a few days because he couldn’t get enough rest living in a fraternity house. One of my co-workers was out sick for a week. Somehow I have avoided the ick.
I have up to 200mi tow.