Re: 4K trip over 2 weeks - any advice

Will be taking a 2 week round trip from California to the mid west. We are leaving on June 1. The car has been serviced and the tires are good. Any advice on what to take along in case of an emergency or just good to have on a long road trip.

Thanks in advance

Carry a medium sized sponge (in a plastic bag) and synthetic "super absorber" chamois for use at self service car washes.
Also one quart of whatever oil is in the motor.

While to odds of failure are low, I would toss a spare serpentine belt in the mix. Easy to replace and not worth the down time to locate one on the road. And maybe a spare low and high bean headlight bulb. These are more about avoiding downtime than anything else.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2013 09:49PM by thom4782. (view changes)

A Petzl headlamp. When you need it, you'll be glad you have it.

A reliable tire gauge (of course, you have one in your car, already, right?)

A spare key is a very good idea. Even better if it's a spare key for the car you're driving.

When I'm on the road, I prefer a microfibre cloth rather than a sponge, as the latter sometimes holds grit which can do a nasty job on your paint. I've not used a sponge on my cars in a long, long time. At home, the P-car gets the boar-bristle brush. Not cheap, but gentle, and effective. And check out the car in the ad - looks like a P-car to me!

[www.griotsgarage.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2013 10:01PM by Roger987. (view changes)

medicine chest in a small zippered case and toss that in the car.

Cell phone charger. Camera. Extra batteries for the camera. I pack a handheld CB radio. Extra batteries for the radio. You can't depend upon having vehicle electrical power in an emergency.

Of course extra engine oil. One quart should do it unless you know the engine uses more than that over the distance you'll be driving. Check oil level every fill up and other vital fluids at least once during the trip. Check where you park the car and note it is free of any fluid spots so when you come to the car the next morning your pre-flight check out has you walking around the car looking for fluid leak sign. Better to spot this at the hotel than have a warning light come on out in the middle of no where. Check tires for signs of low pressure at every gas stop and before you head out in the morning check tire pressures.

A tire plug kit if you believe you can use it correctly to fix a flat. Small portable air compressor. Drive slow in parking lots. All have lots of trash, nails and such but a good tire can handle this without any problems, unless you go real fast and the front tire kicks up the nail and the rear tire picks it up.

Be sure the jack and tool kit and spare are all present and the spare in good shape fully inflated unless it is a space saver tire.

Be sure you have the security lug bolt socket in the car and it fits the security lug bolt in all 4 wheels! Good flashlight. A couple in fact. Roll of duct tape.

A couple of lengths of 2x4 lumber to use to block the tires or put under the jack if you have to jack the car on soft ground or uneven ground.

A good auto club membership.

Copies of your drivers license and credit cards (front and back) with emergency phone numbers legible.

I like to pack some throw pillows. At some point during the day I jam one between the driver's seat and the door and put the other on the center console so my forearms are supported and I grab the wheel down low at say 4 and 8 o'clock. This way my hands do not get tired holding the weight of my arms for sometimes 12 or more hours of driving.

I like some blankets too in case I have to spend the night on the side of the road due to car trouble.

Even if you have a NAV unit or a smart phone with GPS bring maps of where you'll be driving. You may not have a WiFi or cell phone signal in some areas and sometimes the NAV units are a bit goofy.

But watch for animals on the road, at night especially.

Watch for road debris. In the mountains rocks can come down at any time and you round a corner and there's a portable TV sized rock in your lane.

Watch your speed. A Porsche sticks out like a sore thumb in many areas and if you are speeding (and sometimes even if you're not) you'll get pulled over. I've driven thousands of miles cross country and never seen another Porsche on the road.

Take lots of pics.

Enjoy the drive.

Relax.

On our 7.5K mile California trip, we also found a small cooler handy. Gave us enough cold storage for picnic lunches and cold drinks. A bucket with sponges takes up almost 0 space since you can fill it with bottled water.

Sponges and water, properly used, have kept the CURVEN8R pretty darn nice looking. They let you easily wash off the bugs each day to keep them from being burned into the paint. I good coat of wax makes cleaning the bugs off a breeze. Hardly any rubbing required.

I never found the time or energy to use them. I'd search out a DIY car wash and wash the car early in the AM after the car had sat out overnight. Generally the car would be damp from the cool night air and the bugs would blast right off with the water jet.

Also, I cheated: Whenever possible I'd aim for a rain storm. Driving in a good rain at highway speeds will blast the bugs and such right off the car.

Then back home I'd either treat the car to a thorough wash or have the car in for its 5K mile oil/filter service and ask the service manager to have the car washed after the service. Twice.

Several years ago I set off from New England to FL and after six hours in the seat I had a pain in the upper left leg just where the seat bolster hits. Knowing there was no way I wanted to complete my trip suffering, I folded up a towel and placed it on the seat bottom center, just enough to raise me above the bolster. It did the trick for me. Bring along a towel in case you find the same problem. Of course, this problem never showed up in a one or two hour ride.

Other than that the trip was great-I went via the Tail of the Dragon. Tom

Cell phone and credit card. Radar detector and list of dealers.

Ed

Good battery?

Everything tight?

4k miles is nothign on a modern car.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

1. The Regional Coordinators' page from Panorama magazine in case you need PCA help (provided you are a member).
2. Large-caliber handgun w/ extra ammo.
3. Windshield cleaner and paper towels to get the bug guts off the windshield and headlights.
4. AAA card
5. GPS and backup road atlas
6. 32-gig or larger iPad 3 or 4 filled with movies and books for the little woman so she doesn't get bored while you are having all the fun driving.

And avoid rural rest areas after dark, even if armed.

Driving a new-to-me '09S in Aqua Blue Metallic. It does .5 past light speed. I made the Kessel run in less than 12-parsecs.
Motto: If you have your top up, that storm outside had better have a name!
Motto 2: Having the top up on a convertible is an oxymoron. Don't be a (oxy)moron.

Quote

Finally, I like to stuff the car with as much junk as possible,

In that case, add a small wash bucket with soap, towels, wash kit, and the paper towels and window cleaner already mentioned. I will have one in my trunk at next week's BRBS. A dirty Porsche is a major sin.

Driving a new-to-me '09S in Aqua Blue Metallic. It does .5 past light speed. I made the Kessel run in less than 12-parsecs.
Motto: If you have your top up, that storm outside had better have a name!
Motto 2: Having the top up on a convertible is an oxymoron. Don't be a (oxy)moron.

I've always tried to wash the car inside and out and wax it before a roadtrip. Since yours is a 2000, hit the rear window with some Plexus. I like to use RainX on the windows, it's basically wax for glass. Maybe hit the top with RaggTopp. I know, the car will get grimmy on the trip, but the wax helps when it comes time to remove the the dead bugs, the RainX with rain, the RaggTopp for rain and sun damage, the Plexus helps with two weeks of neglect. I prefer to have paper maps, even with a nav system. I'm lucky, my wife can read one and try and find alternate roots if we are in a traffic jam from he!!. Finally, I like to stuff the car with as much junk as possible, that way, it's a great excuse for when my wife wants to buy things: "Oh, yes, honey, that would look fanastic in the guest room, but darn, there's just no room for it in the car. Aw, shucks."

First aid kit, sunscreen and a hat. Have fun!