Road Trip, Houston to Seattle style

grungebox

So I replied to (my) "Moving to Seattle" thread with the following, but got no responses...so I thought I'd try again.

Anyways, moving to Seattle in about a week or so. I'm planning on a big road trip up there from Houston with my gf, and I've never driven on a multi-day road trip before. I just wanted to know:

-what should I have the mechanics check out to prep my car for the journey? It's at 125k (99 Civic), and needs a timing belt change at the very least. Should I get all new tires, and replace my puny spare with a full-size spare? What fluids need to be replenished? I don't have a decent record of what repairs have occurred when, I'm a lousy car owner, but I don't want to walk in and get suckered into crap I don't need.

-what should I bring in terms of both emergency supplies and food or whatever?

-anyone have any recommendations regarding where to stop and stuff to see on the way? From Dallas, I was thinking of going up to Denver either through Kansas or New Mexico, hang out in Denver for a day.
From there I'm a little indecisive, I was thinking about Yellowstone or maybe something in Utah? I've never been to a National Park, but I like seeing animals so I thought it'd be fun to hang out there for a day. I don't want to go camping though, and don't want to drive between cities at night that much.

-is there a good GPS logger for the iPhone to track where I'm going or have been (for posterity's sake). Also, can I roam on the iPhone without incurring a lot of charges (i.e. is it built into the standard plan, or do I have to explicitly add it)?

Thanks for any help. I'm too much of a city boy to know these things myself

tl,dr; Need any and all road trip advice

matt has a problem

Well, I was going to respond to this about 18 hours ago, but, the forum going down and all...

For fluids, first get an oil change and replace the oil filter. Make sure your antifreeze, brake, and power steering fluids are all at their proper levels. And top off your windshield washer fluid too. Have them check your spark plugs, make sure they're gapped correctly, and replaced if need be. Have them check the air filter too.

For tires, you don't need new ones, as long as the ones you have aren't too worn down. Look for the tread wear indicators, they look like this -

the bumps in between the tread. If those are level with the tread, or close to it, you need new tires, otherwise you're ok. Another way to check is use a penny, and stick it in the tread with the top of Lincoln's head down. If the tread reaches his hair, you're ok. Make sure all 4 and the spare are properly inflated too. If you have the money to spend on a full size spare, go for it, but remember it probably won't fit in the spot the donut spare fits, so you'll have it taking up space in the trunk.

Definitely get the timing belt changed, the rule of thumb is usually 100k miles, so you're a bit overdue.

For emergency supplies and food, as long as you're not planning on straying from main roads you don't need much. You'll have your spare of course, bring a flashlight with new batteries, a blanket, maybe some road flares. If you have a smaller socket or wrench set, bring that, and make sure, make sure you have a jack and tire iron for your car. Nothing like having the spare but no way to put it on. It doesn't hurt to bring a jug of antifreeze, the pre mixed kind so you're not stuck looking for water. If you're really wanting to prepare for absolutely everything, buy one of those 2.5 gallon gas jugs and fill it, and put it in your trunk too. Just be sure it's secured, otherwise you'll have a trunk full of gas. And have jumper cables.

For food, a couple bottles of water and maybe some granola bars, or whatever you plan on snacking on while driving. People don't usually break down in the middle of nowhere with no help around and get stranded for days in the middle of July.

Improvolone

Car charger for your phone

Thanatos

I really, really don't recommend the jug of gas in the trunk. Too much can go wrong, and it's illegal in most states (for instance, in California, which you may very well be travelling through).

matt has a problem

I've only heard of it being illegal in cars where the passenger area wasn't separated from the cargo area, such as an SUV.

jhunter46

If you get the opportunity, check out Mt. Shasta in Northern California, it is right off the I5. In fact from there on, north along the I5 is pretty awesome scenery.

mts

why would you bring gas with you? there are these things called gas stations that you can use to refill your automobile. same goes for antifreeze. unless you know your car leaks fluids i wouldn't bring anything of that sort.

i would get your tires and brakes checked. maybe fill all your fluids (window washer etc) and get some new blades for it. i wish we did that on our most recent drive, we hate huge thunderstorms along the way.


other than that get your oil changed and you should be fine.

it would certainly be cheaper to bring some sandwiches or stuff to make sandwiches in a small cooler as well as healthier than most roadside flair, but your mileage may vary. if you are planning on sightseeing i would just throw some snacks and or some drinks to tide you over. if you are planning on going as far as you can in each leg than bring foodstuff.

Thanatos

matthasaproblem wrote: »

I've only heard of it being illegal in cars where the passenger area wasn't separated from the cargo area, such as an SUV.

In California at least it's illegal to keep it in an enclosed area (because it has a tendency to explode). You can keep it in an open truck bed, but not in a trunk.

Thanatos

mts wrote: »

why would you bring gas with you? there are these things called gas stations that you can use to refill your automobile. same goes for antifreeze. unless you know your car leaks fluids i wouldn't bring anything of that sort.

i would get your tires and brakes checked. maybe fill all your fluids (window washer etc) and get some new blades for it. i wish we did that on our most recent drive, we hate huge thunderstorms along the way.


other than that get your oil changed and you should be fine.

it would certainly be cheaper to bring some sandwiches or stuff to make sandwiches in a small cooler as well as healthier than most roadside flair, but your mileage may vary. if you are planning on sightseeing i would just throw some snacks and or some drinks to tide you over. if you are planning on going as far as you can in each leg than bring foodstuff.

You bring anti-freeze and radiator fluid because you're going to be driving through an area where there is nothing but desert, and the gas stations are sometimes 70 or 80 miles apart, so if you have a problem, it's a serious problem.

grungebox

Thanatos wrote: »

You bring anti-freeze and radiator fluid because you're going to be driving through an area where there is nothing but desert, and the gas stations are sometimes 70 or 80 miles apart, so if you have a problem, it's a serious problem.

Yeah, that's a good idea, especially up around Montana or Idaho where I don't expect there to be a lot of gas stations. Even then, I'm not sure how safe people who look vaguely terrorist-y (like me) would fare up there while stranded on the roadside

matthasaproblem wrote:

the bumps in between the tread. If those are level with the tread, or close to it, you need new tires, otherwise you're ok. Another way to check is use a penny, and stick it in the tread with the top of Lincoln's head down. If the tread reaches his hair, you're ok. Make sure all 4 and the spare are properly inflated too. If you have the money to spend on a full size spare, go for it, but remember it probably won't fit in the spot the donut spare fits, so you'll have it taking up space in the trunk.

Definitely get the timing belt changed, the rule of thumb is usually 100k miles, so you're a bit overdue.

That's good advice, thanks. I've been a little lazy (and poor?) to change the timing belt. What's a typical figure for that, like $1k? Anything else they should change while doing that?

Fats

Thanatos wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

I've only heard of it being illegal in cars where the passenger area wasn't separated from the cargo area, such as an SUV.

In California at least it's illegal to keep it in an enclosed area (because it has a tendency to explode). You can keep it in an open truck bed, but not in a trunk.

I would recommend against it because all the gas cans you can buy these days leak fumes like crazy. Even in the trunk, you're likely to have spirit journey levels of fumes in the front seat after a while.

mts

Thanatos wrote: »

You bring anti-freeze and radiator fluid because you're going to be driving through an area where there is nothing but desert, and the gas stations are sometimes 70 or 80 miles apart, so if you have a problem, it's a serious problem.

honestly though when was the last time you needed to refill your radiator or anti-freeze on a long trip, especially if you knew your car didn't have any fluid leaks that he was aware of?

i just drove 3000 miles cross country and despite having relatively easy access to gas stations and other highway fair, i not once had the need to refill antifreeze or my radiator, and this was in a 11 year old car with 160 thousand miles on it.

there's a difference between being prepared and paranoia

matt has a problem

grungebox wrote: »

Thanatos wrote: »

You bring anti-freeze and radiator fluid because you're going to be driving through an area where there is nothing but desert, and the gas stations are sometimes 70 or 80 miles apart, so if you have a problem, it's a serious problem.

Yeah, that's a good idea, especially up around Montana or Idaho where I don't expect there to be a lot of gas stations. Even then, I'm not sure how safe people who look vaguely terrorist-y (like me) would fare up there while stranded on the roadside

matthasaproblem wrote:

the bumps in between the tread. If those are level with the tread, or close to it, you need new tires, otherwise you're ok. Another way to check is use a penny, and stick it in the tread with the top of Lincoln's head down. If the tread reaches his hair, you're ok. Make sure all 4 and the spare are properly inflated too. If you have the money to spend on a full size spare, go for it, but remember it probably won't fit in the spot the donut spare fits, so you'll have it taking up space in the trunk.

Definitely get the timing belt changed, the rule of thumb is usually 100k miles, so you're a bit overdue.

That's good advice, thanks. I've been a little lazy (and poor?) to change the timing belt. What's a typical figure for that, like $1k? Anything else they should change while doing that?

Not really, changing it involves removing a cover and just replacing the belt. It's in a really awkward position on most cars is the problem. There aren't any gaskets or seals in the way, or other parts that are "while you're at it" type things. It'll run you anywhere from $250 to $750, depending on where you get it done really. Civics are nice and common so the part shouldn't be too expensive.

matt has a problem

mts wrote: »

Thanatos wrote: »

You bring anti-freeze and radiator fluid because you're going to be driving through an area where there is nothing but desert, and the gas stations are sometimes 70 or 80 miles apart, so if you have a problem, it's a serious problem.

honestly though when was the last time you needed to refill your radiator or anti-freeze on a long trip, especially if you knew your car didn't have any fluid leaks that he was aware of?

i just drove 3000 miles cross country and despite having relatively easy access to gas stations and other highway fair, i not once had the need to refill antifreeze or my radiator, and this was in a 11 year old car with 160 thousand miles on it.

there's a difference between being prepared and paranoia

Famous last words.

Thanatos

mts wrote: »

Thanatos wrote: »

You bring anti-freeze and radiator fluid because you're going to be driving through an area where there is nothing but desert, and the gas stations are sometimes 70 or 80 miles apart, so if you have a problem, it's a serious problem.

honestly though when was the last time you needed to refill your radiator or anti-freeze on a long trip, especially if you knew your car didn't have any fluid leaks that he was aware of?

i just drove 3000 miles cross country and despite having relatively easy access to gas stations and other highway fair, i not once had the need to refill antifreeze or my radiator, and this was in a 11 year old car with 160 thousand miles on it.

there's a difference between being prepared and paranoia

I don't think having a couple of fluids in your backseat when you're going to be driving through places far from civilization quite qualifies as "paranoid." Leaking radiator fluid a mile from civilization is a problem; leaking radiator fluid 40 miles from civilization in the middle of the desert in August is life-threatening. It's like how everyone in the Northeast keeps windshield wiper fluid in their back seat, but no one in California does: it's all about context.