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If you've maintained the car to service schedule,i'd just get in it and go.I have similar car with 230K miles and i'd trust it to drive around America on a moments notice.
This. 1400 miles is nothing and you'd do that in a month or two of normal driving without checking anything. If you can daily drive the car for months without checking it over every time you drive it, you can drive 1400 miles in a trip without checking anything out.
I drove my 160k mile, 15 year old BMW 2000 miles round trip without the need to check everything (or really anything) and then just over the Christmas/New Year's week I made a couple 800 mile round trips with it again without checking anything. I'd drive across country with it tomorrow with no issues. And that's a higher mileage, older BMW, The OP's Toyota will be fine.
The thing is, even if you take it into a mechanic they can only inspect the obvious external components. Many times a car will break down due road due to internal (non-obvious) failures. And you basically open yourself up to them trying to rip you off with unnecessary repairs.
the thing that i don't like about mechanics is that many of them are just trying to make money. they cannot sell you anything if they just check your tire pressure and they are all around 32psi.
obviously, base on what the op wrote, s/he doesn't know that much about cars, when the op takes his/her car to the local auto repair shop, the auto shop will just try to rip him/her off. they will recommend things like engine clean service, the air filter is dirty and it needs to replaced. if the op is really unlucky, some auto shop may tell him/her that the brake fluid is dirty, and it needs to be replaced. in reality, brake and power steering fluids are sealed system, in most of cases, they simply don't need to be replaced.
yes, op, if you are planning to drive a long distance trip, it is a good idea to do some basic inspections before you hit the road, BUT you don't need to go to an auto shop and pay some1 to do it for you, you can simply do some of the things that ppl have mentioned yourself.
op, what do you live, if you don't mind me asking. if you live around the dfw area, i will check it for you FOR FREE.
Last edited by some1livesinamerica; 01-18-2017 at 10:29 AM..
I would take it out over the weekend drive it for about 30 minutes at highway speeds just to ensure there is no shimmy and would then pop the hood and look everything over at idle. Would check the hoses, for leaks and watch the temp gauge.
I once took a vehicle on a trip and it had not been driven regularly on the highway leading up to the trip. It did okay for about 500 miles. It then lost all the coolant and had to be repaired. A gasket was bad and probably had been that way for awhile but it just had not been run down the highway much and I did not notice it. If you are making short trips at lower speeds on a regular basis, that is not the same as cruising at 70-75 for 8 hours.
This. 1400 miles is nothing and you'd do that in a month or two of normal driving without checking anything. If you can daily drive the car for months without checking it over every time you drive it, you can drive 1400 miles in a trip without checking anything out.
I drove my 160k mile, 15 year old BMW 2000 miles round trip without the need to check everything (or really anything) and then just over the Christmas/New Year's week I made a couple 800 mile round trips with it again without checking anything. I'd drive across country with it tomorrow with no issues. And that's a higher mileage, older BMW, The OP's Toyota will be fine.
This is what I was thinking I'd add to my post. That if you wouldn't worry about driving that many miles around town, there's no need to worry about the same amount of miles out of town - especially if they're mostly highway miles.
I just keep emergency stuff in the truck that I got used to carrying around when I lived in harsher climates. A couple emergency space blankets, for me and my dog, munchie food in the glove box that both me and my dog can eat, spare warm clothing, extra battery packs to charge my iphone, at least one gallon of water, etc. And I always make sure someone knows exactly what route I intend to take, and who I check in with every night, etc. I also carry my dog's health print-out, in case there's an accident and my dog is separated from me, including info on who to call if I am hospitalized, the name and number of a friend who would taker her, etc.
Insurance? It doesn't insure anything. The shop isn't going to come for you 700 miles away.
And I wouldn't worry about the trp one bit.
This kind of driving is really easy on the car.
Really? I thought his local mechanic would drive cross-country to pick him up on the side of the road. Thanks for the tip.
My point was that the shop may spot something before an imminent failure. Some years ago, my now-wife and I found ourselves stranded on the side of the road while on a vacation trip out-of-state. She had a practically brand new Ford Explorer that wasn't even a year old and from what I recall only had like 8k miles on it. One of the heater hoses let go. The hose was defective and had a bubble in it that popped. After that experience, I choose to err on the side of caution. Standing on the side of the road with her engagement ring in my pocket, waiting for the tow truck with my elaborate plans to surprise her now in peril made a lasting impression.
Maybe they would have spotted it had we brought it in for service before the trip, maybe not. As they say, "stuff" happens. No, you can't prevent everything but a checkup ahead of time doesn't hurt.
Really? I thought his local mechanic would drive cross-country to pick him up on the side of the road. Thanks for the tip.
My point was that the shop may spot something before an imminent failure. Some years ago, my now-wife and I found ourselves stranded on the side of the road while on a vacation trip out-of-state. She had a practically brand new Ford Explorer that wasn't even a year old and from what I recall only had like 8k miles on it. One of the heater hoses let go. The hose was defective and had a bubble in it that popped. After that experience, I choose to err on the side of caution. Standing on the side of the road with her engagement ring in my pocket, waiting for the tow truck with my elaborate plans to surprise her now in peril made a lasting impression.
Maybe they would have spotted it had we brought it in for service before the trip, maybe not. As they say, "stuff" happens. No, you can't prevent everything but a checkup ahead of time doesn't hurt.
Possibly can hurt your wallet by recommended unnecessary repairs. Unless it's someone you know and trust most mechanics are only going to check things that will line their pocketbooks (air filter, fuel injector service, brake/power steering fluid service, unnecessary brake service) and not necessarily anything that will leave you stranded.
And going into a shop and just mentioning "I want you to check my car to make sure it is in tip-top shape before my cross country drive" instead of "my car is making a weird noise when I turn, etc" will make the mechanic very happy knowing he probably has (1) someone who knows very little about cars and (2) how much money can I squeeze out of them. Even if you don't know, act like you know stuff about your car.
Possibly can hurt your wallet by recommended unnecessary repairs. Unless it's someone you know and trust most mechanics are only going to check things that will line their pocketbooks (air filter, fuel injector service, brake/power steering fluid service, unnecessary brake service) and not necessarily anything that will leave you stranded.
And going into a shop and just mentioning "I want you to check my car to make sure it is in tip-top shape before my cross country drive" instead of "my car is making a weird noise when I turn, etc" will make the mechanic very happy knowing he probably has (1) someone who knows very little about cars and (2) how much money can I squeeze out of them. Even if you don't know, act like you know stuff about your car.
Yes, I'm jaded.
Gotta agree with this. "Never ask an interior decorator if there is anything that ought to be done with your kitchen."
As noted above, the first thing that should be done is meeting all the normal maintenance requirements.
For those not comfortable examining their own vehicles, find a decent repair shop and patronize him consistently.
If you find a single decent shop to have maintenance done (look around, ask around, check the 'Net) and patronize that shop regularly: A. You won't need a last minute check before a trip, B. That mechanic is less likely to suggest last minute repairs...because he should have already checked them, C. Having already done things on your car like brakes, transmission fluid changes, front end alignments, et cetera, he would have already had a chance to notice the "deeper" issues that might cause trouble on a trip.
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