Hey all just a few questions about my up coming road trip up north.....

One month ago i changed my front sparks, oil and oil filter myself, but in preperation for this trip i would like to know what else i should do?

Its around 4000km trip (return included) plus anywhere else we might drive to...

My car is a 98 tf with 86000 on the clock.

Auto Fluid hasnt been changed ever neither has the cooling water since ive got the car over 2 years ago.

So my question is since it aint broke.. do i not bother fixing it (the cooling system and the trany oil).

I will be doing 10 hour long trips at a time (GO the red bull...)

OH and what can i do to protect my paint :( i dont want horrible rock chips.... should i wrap the car in glad wrap? i know there is a spray that you can coat your car with to protect it.. but umm... since my speeding fine.. money isnt something i want to spend....

any tips either for the drive? ive done 4 hour long drives in my friends unbreakable falcon, (85 and majorly screwed besides the engine) but since this is my car i want to care for it just that little bit more :D haha ei: i dont want it to die!!

OH and 10 hours in a lowered car... we are gonna feel every bump and knock.. ANd i hope there are no high curbs..... Think i will bring some wood to help get up any high obsticles we might come across!!!

wax your paint with good quality wax
have your tyres and wheel allignment checked because with doing 800km a day ur tyres will be shot if even a tiny bit out
i personaly would have the fuilds changed and brakes bled and a general once over by a mechanic. saftey first, specialy when your going to be driving 50% of your day...

Think i will bring some wood to help get up any high obsticles we might come across!!!

haha kangaroo carcases (sp??) put a bull bar on

MAKE SURE YOUR SPARE TYRE HAS AIR!!
I've driven upto brisbane and had a flatty, so i changed the wheel to the spare to see it was flat..... i didnt know whether to laugh or curse... but lucky a guy pulled over and he had an air compressor and pumped it up...

Dont even joke about kangaroos.. my friend coming back from Holiday Hit a kangaroo... Drove the car back home and it was screwed!!

there was no front left... amazing how the honda made it back haha.

Oh now im scared.. im actualy showing an italian Tourist around... and i dont want him to get up close and personal with our native australian emblem... smashed into my car....

wax your paint with good quality wax
have your tyres and wheel allignment checked because with doing 800km a day ur tyres will be shot if even a tiny bit out
i personaly would have the fuilds changed and brakes bled and a general once over by a mechanic. saftey first, specialy when your going to be driving 50% of your day...

I got maguires Gold class clear coat wax or i got nu finish wax... which would be better.. One cost 4 bucks.. the other 30! hahah

I had my wheels aligned just under a year ago when i got my car lowered... so... should i do it again?

brake pads were done less than 6 months ago... so would i still need to bleed them??

I will get a mechanic (ultra tune) to go over my car and flush the cooling system out definetly, but im not sure about doing the auto tranny... i dont want to be stranded but at the same time i dont want to have to fork out heaps of cash!!

Umm my spare is bald.. That guy selling tyres for 250 bucks never got back in contact with me.... and i was hoping he would :(

MAKE SURE YOUR SPARE TYRE HAS AIR!!
I've driven upto brisbane and had a flatty, so i changed the wheel to the spare to see it was flat..... i didnt know whether to laugh or curse... but lucky a guy pulled over and he had an air compressor and pumped it up...

Who carries an aircompressor around with them??? :shock:


I had my wheels aligned just under a year ago when i got my car lowered... so... should i do it again?

It would probably be best to get them aligned again. Once a year is a good rule of thumb, and since you're going on a long trip then the $40-$50 now will probably save your tires.

As road audit consultant and occassional travel writer I was sometimes doing 13 hours a day in the car.
I can not stress enough the need to take regular breaks. 1 day you'd be ok, start to do 10 hour stints over several days and you'll be realy realy feeling it.
Regualr breaks say 10-15 minutes every 2 hours. have a cup of coffee, get out stretch have something to eat. Keep your fluids up - lots of water. Dehydration leads to lack of attention, drowsyness etc. So drink lots of water, you'll need to pee and that serves as a break.
Have a good hearty breakfast each day to ensure your brain has pleanty of fuel. Have a good lunch and relax over lunch (maybe have a small snooze). Take at least half an hour (preferably 1 hour) outside of the car for lunch.
Make sure you get a good night sleep, and try to minimise (not cut out) alcohol intake each night.

You have to be kind to your body bud.

Oh and for that length of time I hope you have lots and lots of music in the car.

And as others have said, carry your spare (good repair) plus necessary tools, some oil, coolant, water etc. I have a few cans of that that "fart in a can" type tube goo puncture repair stuff ($10 per can) chances are if you get one flat you'll get two!!

my only protection... (see attached)

can be found at hardware stores, cost me $8
its measures 80x100cm its VERY VERY VERY soft, very fine, does not scratch paint and is very cool to work with - will NEVER go anywhere without it again!! (caught even FLIES!!! thats how fine it is!!!)

but dude that looks ugly hahahaha..

see if i were where you lived ben, id be at my destination in around 20 minutes.. hahaha 2000km in 20 minutes.... ok im dreaming...

I gotta keep to the speed limit too :( no licence left

So, so far:

Things to get:
5 new tyres: for 250 of that bloke.
Wheel alignment/balancing: $40
mechanical checkup $130.
Fart in a can... 10 bucks....
Mineral water cheapo 2 bucks 4l

So far, 432 bucks... and i havnt left anywhere yet :badgrin:
AHh this holiday is gonna send me broke...

OH and dont worry about drinking.. i can barely afford a place to stay in let alone drink!

Definately do the coolant drain, and carry at least a 5l bottle with you.
Do an oil change.
Use the meguiars wax... best stuff you can get for under $50.
Get tyres if you wish... if not then get wheels balanced, aligned and just rotate them.
Forget teh tranny for now.
And forget the mechanic checkup... you can basically do it yourself and save $100.

I hate the "If it aint broke, dont fix it" theory. I know too many people that go by this rule... and have been stuck in a few unforgiving situations. "Why do i need to get the car serviced if its running fine?" :rant: They basically don't give a ****, as long as the car runs.

I can't even convince my dad to let me service (or get it serviced by mechanic) his car. :rant: Its damn annoying... he bought the car (AUIII Xr6 without VCT) for $40000 with 8000kms on the odo. (rip off) Since then, i have only been able to do an oil flush and change (at 52000kms) while he was out, and the car is now up to 69000kms (had the car for a year and a half now :shock: ) Everything else it still factory...Cant be good... Coolant has traces of rust... Plugs are screwed (car takes about 10 seconds to start :rant: ) Oil it black and like tar... I could go on forever...

Sorry bout all that... you get the point. :redface:

I can't even convince my dad to let me service (or get it serviced by mechanic) his car. :rant: Its damn annoying... he bought the car (AUIII Xr6 without VCT) for $40000 with 8000kms on the odo. (rip off) Since then, i have only been able to do an oil flush and change (at 52000kms) while he was out, and the car is now up to 69000kms (had the car for a year and a half now :shock: ) Everything else it still factory...Cant be good... Coolant has traces of rust... Plugs are screwed (car takes about 10 seconds to start :rant: ) Oil it black and like tar... I could go on forever...


Please dont take offence, but is your dad a complete moron??? :nuts:

Either that or he has more money than sense.

*shakes head* :nuts:

Please dont take offence, but is your dad a complete moron??? :nuts:


YES!!! :confused: i think he is...

And the money comment... its actually quite the opposite now. He was going to buy a WRX but the said that he couldn't fit into it propperly (head hit the roof :nuts: ).

AAARGH!!! the rex would've killed the XR in every was imaginable, not to mention alot cheaper.

Btw... the XR is falling appart already :rant: . Sunroof leaks, windscreen & door seals peeled, camber is out of wack by ALOT, he shattered one of his alloys running over a piece of steel on the freeway... which was not covered by insurance or warranty... Once again, i could go on forever. :rant:

your dads not alone, my dad insisits that we service it once a year only cause we only drive it about 6000kms per year. I tell him its not good for the engine oil and the guy doesnt listen. The funny thing is he drives it like a granny to look after the car but doesnt want to waste money :nuts:

The guys at the dealership are worse cause i asked them to check the tranny oil amongst other things and let us know if things need fixing but they dont careless unless its broken. What happened to looking over things as part of the service. Hell they charge $200+ for a general service dont they :tantrum:

your dads not alone, my dad insisits that we service it once a year only cause we only drive it about 6000kms per year...:

Yes but my dad does about 60000kms a year.