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Prep your car before you travel for Thanksgiving holiday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than 53 million Americans are traveling this Thanksgiving, and 90% are driving, according to AAA.

Before starting your holiday travel, it is important to make sure your car is ready for the road. Aaron Nelson, from Aaron’s Car Care, said the first thing to do is check your fluids.

“Be sure your fluids are full. Motor oil, you know your windshield washer, coolant. And if you’re going north, be sure that coolant is good enough that its going to take care of the antifreeze from freezing up in cold weather,” said Nelson.

Next up, check your tires.

“Check your air pressure be sure you got it. One thing that I’ll say is when you’re checking the tread you can use a penny turn it up and take Lincoln’s head. If you burry it in there and can’t see Lincoln’s head, you’re in good shape,” said Nelson.

Nelson also suggests checking your batteries and hoses.

“Look at the hoses and belts. Make sure there’s nothing frayed, hoses aren’t swollen or something like that. If you’ve got a battery older than three years old, usually you’re on borrowed time,” said Nelson.

Finally, get acquainted with your car. Locate your spare tire. It could be in the trunk or underneath the car. Make sure you can access it in case of a flat.

News4JAX spoke with Darren Marshall at a rest stop in St. Johns County on Wednesday. He said he started his trip from Virginia to DeLand at 10 p.m. the night before.

“We knew if we left at 10 we’d miss the traffic. Came all the way through, didn’t really hit anything until we were outside of Jacksonville,” said Marshall.

RELATED: Best and worst times to travel for the holidays


About the Author
Corley Peel headshot

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.

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