This coming Thursday morning, me and some buddies are trekking off from suburban Austin, TX to the middle of nowhere, NM. The trip is around 800 miles one way. I have spent the past week, putting my new 04 F150 Lariat Screw through the paces, but I want to make sure that I don't run into any trouble on this long road trip. By my estimate, I should have between 600 and 700 miles on the truck before we leave.

What can I do between now and then to make sure my truck is ready for the road and not going to have problems in the middle of nowhere? Of course, it is still under warranty so I can take it in on Tuesday or Wednesday to have the dealership look at it. I have already taken the precaution of getting spare air filters and windshield wipers and some equipment to make a flat tire a little less painful. What else would you recommend?

I value your opinions, so let me know what you think.

 

From a cross country trip I took a few years ago I learned that you should check the oil at every fill-up. Under normal driving conditions my vehicle was still almost full on the dipstick at 3000 mile change intervals. When I drove from Wisconsin to Arizona non-stop it burnt off more than a quart of oil .

I discover this when pulling off the highway to fill up with gas I could hear a ticking that wasn't there before so I checked the oil and it wasn't even touch the dip stick.

 

For the Truck:

Jumper Cables
Tow straps
Flashlight
Wiper fluid
Coolant
Motor oil
Funnel
Wiper blades
Tire-pressure gauge
Corrosion-removal spray
Rags

For You:

Band-aids
Anti-bacterial spray or something
Gloves
Water
Asprin
Instant hot/cold packs
First-aid book
Just go buy a first-aid kit from the sporting goods store, much easier!

Have fun!!!