The Christmas break is when half of south east Queensland packs the car and heads for the coast, the hinterland or somewhere out west. Most breakdowns and holiday hassles can be avoided with an hour of checks in the week before you leave.

This checklist covers the car or 4WD, the caravan or trailer, the packing, and the wash before and after the trip. That last part does more than people expect.

The car or 4WD

• Tyres, including the spare. Check tread depth and look for cuts, bulges or uneven wear. Set pressures for the load you are carrying, following the tyre placard or your owner’s manual. The spare is the one everyone forgets until they need it.
• Fluids. Engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and windscreen washer fluid. Top up the washer fluid properly, because summer bugs will use it up.
• Wipers. Replace them if they streak or chatter. Summer storms arrive fast.
• Lights. Headlights, high beam, indicators, brake lights and reversing lights. It takes two people and two minutes.
• Battery. If it is a few years old or slow to crank, have it tested before you rely on it a long way from home.
• Air conditioning. If it is not cold now, it will not improve halfway up the highway.
• Service. If a service is due soon, book it before the trip rather than after.

The caravan or trailer

• Tyres and wheel bearings. Van tyres often age out before they wear out, so check the sidewalls for cracking. If the bearings have not been checked recently, get it done before a long trip.
• Brakes and breakaway system. Test the van brakes, and check the breakaway battery is charged if your van has one.
• Coupling, chains and cables. Check the hitch, safety chains, shackles and electrical plug for wear and corrosion.
• Lights. Every trailer light, connected to the tow vehicle.
• Weights. Know your loaded weight, tow ball weight and your vehicle’s towing limits. Overloading changes how the whole rig handles.
• Seals, hatches and awning. Look for cracked seals around windows and roof hatches, and open the awning once to make sure it works before you reach the campsite.
• Gas and water. Check gas fittings, and flush and refill the water tanks if the van has been sitting.

Why wash before you leave

A wash before the trip is not about looking good at the campground. It is part of the check.

You can see problems. Stone chips, rust spots, cracked seals and damaged trim are hard to spot under a layer of dust. On a clean vehicle, they stand out.

You can see the road. Clean windows, mirrors and headlights make a real difference on long drives, especially at dawn and dusk.

The roof gets looked at. Caravan roofs are where leaks tend to start, and they rarely get checked. Our large self-service bay has a gantry, which makes the roof of a caravan, boat or big 4WD much easier to reach and wash.

The caravan, boat and 4WD bay at Brendale is built for exactly this. If it is your first time washing a van in a bay, read our guide on how to wash a caravan in a wash bay before you come down. For the tow vehicle, the Express Tunnel or the Combi Autowash will have it done quickly.

Packing and planning

• Load heavy items low and central. In the car and the van. Nothing loose in the cabin that could become a projectile under hard braking.
• Keep essentials reachable. Water, first aid kit, torch, tyre gauge and phone charger should not be buried under the luggage.
• Check road conditions. Holiday traffic, roadworks and summer storms can all change a route. Check QLDTraffic before you leave and along the way.
• Plan rest stops. Long drives in the heat are tiring. Build breaks into the trip rather than pushing through.
• Tell someone your route if you are heading somewhere remote.

The wash after the trip matters more

The wash people skip is the one that counts most. Beach driving, sand tracks, gravel roads and camping near the water all leave salt and grit underneath the vehicle, where it keeps working long after you get home.

Wash as soon as you can after you get back. An underbody wash gets water into the chassis rails, wheel arches and suspension, where salt and sand collect. At Brendale, Bay 2 has a super underbody wash with four high pressure jet locations for larger vehicles, trailers, caravans and trucks, and Bay 4 has two for normal sized vehicles. We cover why this matters in our post on underbody washing after the beach.

If the dog came along too, our 24 hour dog wash is on the same site.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I check before a long road trip?

Check tyres including the spare, fluid levels, wipers, lights, battery and air conditioning, and book a service if one is due soon. If you are towing, also check the van tyres, bearings, brakes, coupling, safety chains and lights. Doing this a week before you leave gives you time to fix anything you find.

How do I get my caravan ready for a trip?

Check tyres for age and cracking, have the wheel bearings inspected, test the brakes and breakaway system, and check the coupling, chains and lights. Inspect window and roof hatch seals, test the awning, and check gas fittings and water tanks. A wash before you go makes seal and roof problems much easier to spot.

Should I wash my car before a road trip?

Yes. It makes stone chips, rust spots and damaged seals easier to see before you leave, while there is still time to deal with them. Clean windows, mirrors and lights also make long drives safer, particularly in low light. For a caravan, it is a good chance to check the roof.

Where can I wash a caravan in north Brisbane?

At 57 Wash in Brendale, the large self-service bay is built for caravans, boats and big 4WDs. It has a gantry to help with roof access and a super underbody wash for larger vehicles and trailers. The site is at 23 Doherty Street, Brendale.

Should I wash my car after driving on the beach?

Yes, as soon as you can. Salt and sand collect under the vehicle in the chassis, wheel arches and suspension, and salt holds moisture against metal long after the paint looks clean. An underbody wash with high pressure water is the most effective way to get it out.

Leave clean, come back cleaner

An hour of checks before you leave saves a lot of trouble on the highway. Run through the tyres, fluids, lights and the van, pack sensibly, and check the roads before you go.

Then bookend the trip with a wash. One before you leave so you can see what you are working with, and one when you get home to get the salt and sand off before it does damage. Our large self-service bay at Brendale takes caravans, boats and 4WDs. If you will be washing often over summer, the Unlimited Wash Club includes caravans with no locked-in contract.

Find us at 23 Doherty Street, Brendale. Safe travels.