Don’t Let Your Car Cancel Your Summer
A quick pre-road-trip checklist that saves money, boosts MPG, and keeps the good times rolling
Gas prices are up. Road trip season is here. And honestly? One shouldn’t have anything to do with the other.
Yes, fuel costs more than any of us would like right now – but that’s exactly why a little smart prep before you leave the driveway can pay off big. We’re talking better gas mileage, fewer surprises on the road, and more money staying in your wallet instead of going to a shop or gas station. Summer memories don’t have to take a back seat to a tight budget. They just require a bit of forethought.
Here’s how to make sure your car is as ready for the road as you are.
1. Check Your Tires (All Five of Them)
This one’s easy to skip and expensive to regret. Walk around the car and look for bulges, cuts, or anything that doesn’t look right. Check the tread depth. Then check the pressure – and here’s why it matters more than you might think: according to the U.S. Department of Energy, properly inflated tires can improve fuel economy by up to 3%. On a long road trip, that adds up to real dollars.
Inflate to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI (it’s on a sticker inside the driver’s door), and don’t forget to check the spare (if your car came with one). Nobody thinks about the spare until they really need it.
2. Clean Your Fuel and Emissions System – Even If Nothing Seems Wrong
This is the one most people skip because they’re not having an obvious problem. But here’s the thing: fuel combustion creates byproduct buildup over time that quietly chips away at your engine’s efficiency – reduced MPG, sluggish throttle response, rough idle. You might not even notice it’s happening until you’re doing the math on fill-ups mid-trip.
Rislone CAT Complete® Fuel, Exhaust & Emissions System Cleaner (P/N 4720) is the one-bottle solution that cleans your entire fuel, emissions, and exhaust system in one treatment. Better mileage, smoother idle, sharper throttle, more power – all from something you pour in before you leave. No mechanic required.
And if you happen to have a check engine light showing a P0420, P0430, or related catalytic converter efficiency code? CAT Complete® frequently clears those too, potentially saving you the $2,000–$2,500 a new catalytic converter would cost. That’s a lot of hotel nights and roadside diners.
Think of it this way: just like you’d fill the tank before a long drive, cleaning the fuel system is standard pre-trip maintenance. It’s not just for cars that are struggling – it’s for cars you want to keep performing at their best.
3. Handle the Windshield
You’d be surprised how many people start a trip with wipers that streak, chatter, or outright fail. A summer storm on the highway is not the time to find this out. Check the blades, inspect the nozzles for clogs, and top off the washer fluid. Quick, cheap, and genuinely important.
4. Open the Hood and Do a Fluid Walk-Through
Most people only open the hood when something goes wrong. Do it now instead. Check and top off oil, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and power steering fluid. Look for any signs of leaks – staining, residue, anything that looks like it dripped. While you’re there, check the battery terminals. Loose or corroded connections are a surprisingly common cause of no-starts, and if your battery is more than three years old, consider having it tested. Most auto parts stores will do this for free.
5. Address Warning Lights Before You Go
A solid check engine light is manageable. A flashing one means stop driving now and get it looked at. For a solid light, most auto parts stores offer free OBD-II code reads that tell you exactly what’s going on – and as mentioned above, CAT Complete® handles many of the most common codes without a shop visit.
Don’t leave home hoping it’ll work itself out. It almost never does, and breaking down three states from home is significantly less fun than dealing with it in your own driveway.
6. Take It Around the Block First
Seriously – go for a short drive before you load up the car and hit the highway. Test the brakes. Check all the lights (have someone stand behind the car while you tap the brake pedal). Make sure the A/C is actually cooling, not just blowing. And yes, test the sound system. A road trip without a playlist is just… driving.
The Big Picture
As our own VP of Development, puts it: “With fuel costs as high as they are, saving gas by properly inflating tires and cleaning the fuel system can put serious dollars back in your pocket.”
This summer marks the Route 66 Centennial and the 250th anniversary of the United States – plenty of reasons to get out there and explore. An hour of prep, a bottle of CAT Complete®, and a quick once-over is all it takes to make sure your car is as excited about the trip as you are.
Pick up Rislone CAT Complete® at AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Walmart.com (or in-store), Advance Auto, NAPA, Menards, Meijer and Amazon.
Rislone products are made in the U.S.A. at our ISO 9001-certified facility in Holly, Michigan.
