# Walking the walk **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 26, 2012, 9:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646 "2012-05-26T09:22:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 9:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/1 "2012-05-26T09:22:56Z")
Many people have asked what maintenance they should do before a long trip and I often advise that if their maintenance is up to date, just check the tire pressure and go. I did just that with my Saturn. I went out west to see the eclipse and visit some national parks. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 9:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/2 "2012-05-26T09:23:55Z")
Started the trip with 242790 miles on the odometer, finished 5835 miles later. Used 148.93 gallons of gas ($565.04) and 4 quarts of oil. Seven driving days. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 10:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/3 "2012-05-26T10:06:03Z")
Nice road trip. I had a friend that used to say if you cannot depend on your car for a road trip, get rid of the car. Got any pics? ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/4 "2012-05-26T21:32:14Z")
Yeah, I took a few, but Firefox won’t let me upload them and safari just doesn’t work for me on this ISP. Maybe I’ll make a run to Starbucks where safari does work. I’m going to make another trip later this summer with my son, only longer. Might use synthetic oil before that trip or else I’ll have to use a quickie oil change place along the way, uck. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/5 "2012-05-26T21:36:51Z")
Where out west ? Albuquerque was poised to see a perfectly centered annular eclipse. Here in Gallup we saw what appeared to be pefectly centered. But generally I hold that to be true too. If you always take correct care of your vehicle…just check everyting over and go. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/6 "2012-05-26T23:37:03Z")
Also, anyone having maintenance work done should do it at least one week ahead of a trip or preferably two. If something was done wrong during the maintenance work, it’s better to figure that out at home. ---
**Author:** ![mark9207](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mark9207](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mark9207)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/7 "2012-05-27T00:05:30Z")
I agree with just checking the tire pressure and fluid levels and hitting the road for the same reasons cited by lion9car. I am also interested in pictures. I wanted to see the eclipse, but we had substantial cloud cover, so you couldn’t even see the sun. I would also like to see the upcoming transit of Venus, but Accuweather says it is supposed to storm June 5 (time will tell, they have been wrong before). Possibly traveling west to see that is sort of tempting. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/8 "2012-05-27T00:33:20Z")
Youall headed west ? When on I-40 in western New Mexico, stop in Gallup and pop into the Ford dealer, Gurley Motors, and say hey. Located between exits 20 & 22 we’re in the main downtown, 701 W. Coal. Other reasons stop visit Gallup ; June 13-16- is the 64th annual Lions club rodeo. National junior high finals rodeo June22-July1 Wild Thing bull ridinging July 13-14 August 8-12 is the inter-tribal indian ceremonial. December 1&2 the Red Rock balloon rally. ---
**Author:** ![mark9207](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mark9207](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mark9207)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/9 "2012-05-27T01:05:45Z")
If I decide to travel to see the transit of Venus, it will be just far enough to get on the other side of weather. It would be nice to go farther and take a trip, but lack of financial means makes that impossible. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/10 "2012-05-27T01:49:43Z")
“Accuweather says it is supposed to storm June 5” That’s too far out to be accurate. Don’t take the weather prediction too seriously until two or three days before the event. The Weather Service is very good a few days before and they will tell you that accuracy goes down as time to a day increases. They really can’t tell you where a hurricane is going until 24 hours before landfall. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/11 "2012-05-27T04:38:42Z")
I just do a basic service (oil change, check fluids, change plugs maybe) unless those particular things were done recently, check the tires, give the car a general lookover, and have at it. My oldest son is a meteorologist/climatologist and he would echo in a heartbeat what Mr. Sanders stated about weather forecasts. Three days out is the fartherest a weather prediction can be made with any degree of accuracy. Five days is a guess at best and 7 days is a wild guess and then some. The extended forecasts are done to spice up the TV reports, nothing more. ---
**Author:** ![mark9207](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mark9207](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mark9207)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/12 "2012-05-27T04:56:13Z")
I don’t take too much stock in that far out forecast either, but it would be just my luck for the weather to be bad and for me to miss that occurrence since it’s not going to happen again for another 120-some-odd years. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/13 "2012-05-27T21:04:53Z")
FYI, I viewed the eclipse at a rest stop on I-15 about 30 miles south of Cedar Park, UT. It was loaded with people who go all over the world to view eclipses. There was also a group from a planetarium recording the event and broadcasting it real time on the internet. That feed was used by at least one news service. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/14 "2012-05-27T21:11:34Z")
Ken, Albuquerque was my second choice, would loved to have watched it from Sandia Peak. I’m sure it was crowded up there, but I could not make it back to Albuquerque quickly enough, Utah was closer. Utah has, hands down, the best rest areas, Montana is a close second though. California is broke and it reflects in its roads and rest areas. ---
**Author:** ![mark9207](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mark9207](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mark9207)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/15 "2012-05-28T00:50:46Z")
I don’t live in the best geographic location for viewing these things (east central IL), but the topography where I happen to live is very nice for anything happening in the western sky. My house sits at the top of a hill and is surrounded on the north, south, and west sides by fields. The east is obscured by the city, which I am outside the limits of by a mere 50 yards. To the west, north, or south I can see for miles with nothing blocking my view, just some distant barns and farmhouses, the closest of which are nearly a mile away and only add to the scenery. This makes for some really pretty views of the sunset, and hopefully a great view of the upcoming transit of Venus. ---
**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 9:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/16 "2012-05-28T09:24:58Z")
4 quarts in 5,835 miles? That oil consumption is a little high, IMHO. But you do have some miles on the thing. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/17 "2012-05-28T22:21:23Z")
Its a quart every 1500 miles on a car with 248k miles on it. I did a lot of sustained driving in the 75-85 mph range. ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/walking-the-walk/72646/18 "2012-05-28T22:29:43Z")
Agree that a properly maintained car should be ready for 2000 mile trip any time. You can get an oil change or even new tires mid trip without much trouble if needed. Before a “trip” I check the tires including tire pressure, look at the belts, and check the oil. A check of the spare tire pressure gets you bonus points.