Prepping Your Car for Summer: 12 Auto Insurance and Maintenance Tips

It’s crucial to make sure your vehicle is in good condition heading into the hot summer months because heat can negatively impact numerous components of your car, including its fluids, fuel, battery and tires.^[1] For an extra layer of protection against summertime breakdowns, consider adding roadside assistance to your auto insurance policy — as there’s always a chance things don’t go your way even after prepping your car for summer.

Keep reading for 12 summer car care tips, including what car parts you need to check before leaving for a summer road trip and when it may be time to take your vehicle to a mechanic for repairs.

On This Page

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  1. Check Your Tires

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  2. Check Your Car’s Fluid Levels

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  3. Clean and Test Your Car Battery

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  4. Test Your AC

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  5. Test Your Brakes

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  6. Consider an Oil and Filter Change

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  7. Replace Your Windshield Wiper Blades

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  8. Check the Car’s Belts and Hoses

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  9. Restock Your Emergency Supplies

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  10. Remove Items You Don’t Need in Your Car

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  11. Make Sure You Have Roadside Assistance

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  12. Check Your Car Insurance Coverage

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  Prepping Your Car for Summer FAQs

1. Check Your Tires

Before traveling a long distance this summer, make sure your tires are in good shape. For example, you may need to fill up your tires with air since tires with low air pressure tend to blow out or go flat. Additionally, you may have to replace your tires altogether if their tread gets too low — otherwise, you could lose traction with the road while driving.

Recommended tire pressure typically ranges from 28 to 36 pounds per square inch (PSI), although this can vary from vehicle to vehicle. To find the exact tire pressure recommendation for your car, check its owner’s manual or look for a sticker attached to the jamb on the driver’s side door.^[2]

Meanwhile, it may be time to replace your tires if their tread is shallower than one-sixteenth of an inch. One simple way to check a tire’s tread depth is to stick a penny between two of its ribs — with Abraham Lincoln’s head facing downward. If the ribs don’t cover any of Lincoln’s head, then the tread is too low.^[3]

To ensure even wear across all of your tires, consider switching them to different positions periodically — also known as rotating your tires.

2. Check Your Car’s Fluid Levels

It’s crucial to ensure your vehicle has adequate levels of the various fluids it needs, such as transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid and windshield washer fluid. During the summer, coolant is perhaps the most important of your car’s fluids because it helps keep your engine at a consistent temperature. Without a sufficient amount of coolant, you run the risk of experiencing a mechanical breakdown due to your engine overheating.

3. Clean and Test Your Car Battery

You can clean up battery acid by applying a solution made of baking soda and water to the corroded parts of your car battery and scrubbing it with a toothbrush or other type of brush.^[4] Then, use a multimeter to determine if your battery is in good condition and ready for extensive traveling. Your car battery may need to be charged if its voltage is below 12.4 volts, and it may need to be replaced if its voltage is below 9.6 volts while you crank the engine.^[5]

4. Test Your AC

A fully functioning air conditioning system is the best way to keep the inside of your car from getting too hot, which is especially necessary amid hot weather throughout the summer. Not only do you want to feel comfortable while you drive, but you also want to prevent extreme heat from damaging the interior of your car.

Anytime the air flow in your vehicle feels restricted, check your cabin air filter — and if it is visibly dirty, it’s likely time to replace it. Additionally, you should consider proactively replacing your cabin air filter once every 15,000 to 30,000 miles.^[6] Nevertheless, if your AC isn’t working properly, you can still keep yourself cool by rolling your windows down to improve air circulation, parking in shaded areas, drinking plenty of water and using a cooling seat cover or portable fan.

5. Test Your Brakes

Test your brakes as part of your summer car maintenance checklist before heading out for a summer road trip. Signs that your brakes may need to be checked and potentially replaced by a professional include the following:^[7]

• Screeching or grinding sounds
• Visible wear and tear
• Changes in the sensitivity of your brake pedal
• Brake pedal vibration or vehicle drifting when you press the pedal
• Brake fluid puddled underneath your parked car

6. Consider an Oil and Filter Change

Keeping your motor oil free of contaminants can improve your car’s performance and longevity. Most modern cars need to have their oil changed every 6,000 to 7,500 miles. In addition, many auto manufacturers recommend getting your oil filter replaced every other time you get an oil change, although many mechanics instead recommend getting the filter replaced every time you get an oil change.^[8]

7. Replace Your Windshield Wiper Blades

Wiper blades tend to wear out quickly, so you will generally need to replace them every six to nine months.^[9] Getting new windshield wipers before the beginning of summer may be especially beneficial if you live in the southeastern United States, where most states average four to eight inches of rain per month from June to August.^[10]

8. Check the Car’s Belts and Hoses

During your summer car maintenance session, inspect your vehicle’s belts and hoses by checking for visible cracks or bulges, squeezing the hoses to see if there are any soft spots and keeping an eye out for glazing on the sides of the accessory belts.^[11] If you notice any signs of damage or significant wear and tear, it may be time to get your belts and hoses replaced.

9. Restock Your Emergency Supplies

Maintain an emergency kit in your vehicle if you plan on driving a long distance this summer. Some of the items you’ll want to keep in your car in case of on-the-road emergencies include the following:^[12]

• Jumper cables
• Flashlight and batteries
• Drinking water and nonperishable foods
• Blankets
• First-aid kit
• Automotive fuses
• Tools
• Duct tape

10. Remove Items You Don’t Need in Your Car

To make space for emergency supplies, remove unimportant or intrusive items from your car, such as trash, clothing and perishable foods. In addition, you should be wary of storing valuable belongings in your vehicle since they may face a higher risk of being stolen whenever you leave your car unattended.

Keep in mind that your car insurance won’t cover any items that are stolen from your car — but your home or renters insurance may cover them.

11. Make Sure You Have Roadside Assistance

For the best protection while you travel this summer, purchase a roadside assistance plan that can provide timely support if you end up stranded on the side of the road. Examples of services that roadside assistance commonly covers include the following:

• Towing and winching
• Battery jumpstarts
• Spare tire installations
• Locksmith services
• Fuel delivery

Although your roadside assistance provider may cover some onsite repairs or towing to a repair shop, you could have to pay for further repairs out of pocket, depending on the source of damage and the insurance policies you have. For example, sudden internal failures and other mechanical breakdowns are only covered by car repair insurance, while basic wear and tear is not covered by any type of car insurance policy.

12. Check Your Car Insurance Coverage

Finally, make sure your auto insurance policy includes all the coverage types you need with sufficient coverage limits. Almost every state requires drivers to maintain liability insurance, which can cover another person’s medical or repair bills after an accident you are responsible for. Certain states also require other coverage types, like uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage or personal injury protection (PIP).

If you are leasing your car or paying off an auto loan, you will likely also need to purchase physical damage insurance to cover repairs to your own vehicle. This includes collision coverage for damage caused by car accidents and comprehensive coverage for damage caused by external perils, like fire or vandalism.