10k Mile Road Trip - Preparation

[CzarDestructo]

So next month I plan to take my Subaru on a 10,000+ mile road trip around the country. It's worth noting one of these locations is Death Valley/Mojave so worst case scenario in terms of heat and dust.

 

My car currently has about 37k miles on it, I bought it brand new and the only things I've done to it thus far is change the engine oil religiously, new spark plugs (which I later realized were good for 60k easily), changed the cabin and air intake filters and brand new tires all around.

 

So before I leave I'm obviously going to change the oil, and once more while on the road. I'm also probably due for new brakes so I'm going to get that done as well. I have yet to flush my automatic tranny's fluid, nor the brake or rear differential. I was told by my mechanic it's really not necessary and he thinks toying with these is pointless, he'd prefer to just leave all the current seals alone. I know he's worked on countless Subarus in the past but probably not a lot of modern ones. Should I really replace all these fluids before I set off?

 

What other things should I be looking out for if I'm going to be putting my car through hell, in particular very high heat for long periods of time?

[Underdog]

Sounds like an awesome trip man... :jealous:

 

I think oil and filter change is a must, and I would bring an extra filter/crush washer so you can change the oil anywhere without relying on the shop having your specific model.

 

I would recommend leaving the ATF and diff fluid alone. Pick up a quart of ATF, brake fluid, a couple gallons of distilled water, and fix-a-flat/bike pump and be on your way.

[CzarDestructo]

If you have 3-4 weeks of vacation time, gas money and have a really good excuse to put off painting/working on the new home there is a passanger seat open for the trip!

[spec.B Dream]

Have fun and share pics with us when you get back. Sounds like you have most stuff covered. I'd recommend checking the air pressure in the spare tire before heading out. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to change a flat tire and finding your spare is flat too.

[LongHiway]

Maybe pre-emptively replace the radiator hoses and belts? To contradict that, I think that's old school thinking. Cars today loose their radiators at old age before a hose bursts.

 

I bought my car off the lot and, it came with a black plastic hood protector. I think it looks OK, others would likely disagree. I think it works, I do a lot of daily highway driving, I have fewer chips than previous cars. Just Lucky?

 

The hood guard is, permanent but, you can find a cloth bra that would fit. 10 K miles is 10K miles, so no different than driving on a highway anyother place so if you are ot a fan, ignore the last.

[smokedoutv6]

at first i misread the title and thought you said "10 mile road trip" i was like WTF?

 

i would load up on the necessities, oil, coolant, hoses and belts. throw in a small hand too set, a tire repair/plug kit, vise grips, wire ties, and of course duct tape. after that you should be pretty well set for mostly anything that pops up.

 

this is provided youre handy with tools, if not at least you'll be well prepared for when someone stops to help you.

 

have fun, take lots of pictures!

[Wang Lung]

If you're gonna put all that stuff in the trunk, you may as well include jumper cables.

 

Have fun. Most likely, you'll have no problems at all. Unless you hit a deer...or a bear....

[JoeFromPA]

Gallon of distilled water, gallon of antifreeze, 2-4 quarts of extra oil, clean and lube your battery contact points if they are dirty, jumper cables, slap a pair of vise grips and duct tape in there JIC.....

 

Good luck man!

 

Edited since it's a 2.5i

[Underdog]

He has a 2.5i...

[pwdrdayz]

Wrap the whole thing in blue painters tape.

[z28dreams]

Also, don't forget to check tire pressure. ( your spare as well! ).

 

New wiper blades might be a good idea if they are getting old, as it sucks to drive on the highway with dirty windows.

 

I spray down anything that might rust with Corrosion Block about once every 6 months as well, might be a good idea.

[LongHiway]

And lastly, condoms and chocolate bars.

[TRSCobra]

As long as your fluids are fresh and tire pressure is good, you'll be fine. I just put 6k (WA to PA+NY+NJ, etc) on my protuned stage 2 LGT while it was having boost control issues, and it ran fine the entire way and gave excellent fuel mileage. And your's is 3 years newer and has 20k fewer miles.

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

Edit: Rain-X your windshield and wax the car before hand. It will help ALOT with bug removal!

[Bbc84]

if you have 37k on it, i hope all the 30k stuff is done before you go. Like the diff and trans fluid. On my 08' LGT 22k miles and the fluid was nasty already.

[TheWeatherWarrior]

While I tend to put 10,000 miles on my cars during the month of May alone (storm chasing), there are many things to consider.

 

While many have suggested taking along lots of fluids and hoses, etc. It is better to KISS. You don't have a large car, and even if you are traveling alone, space will get tight after that many miles.

 

Most of the advise sounds good as far as preventive stuff:

--Oil change before (and every 3,000 to 4,000 miles).

--Check and replace your air filter (will likely have to be done along the way after your haul through Texas, Nevada, and California.

--check and replace only if necessary other fluids and brakes.

--I good fuel injection clean out is also a good idea before and when you return (again....dusty conditions you'll likely see)

--tire pressure (and get a gauge to take with you and check them every morning).

--check the spare

--get a tire patch kit (not the slim stuff, that is the worst stuff ever). Learn to plug your own tire, and you can get a small tire pump that'll keep the air in the tire up enough to get to a service station.

--Get two motor club assist memberships, even if only for this trip. One should be AAA (discounts on hotels a bonus). Only one means you could be waiting hours in an isolated area.

--GPS (if you don't own one, get one, an hand held battery powered one). This way you can give tow companies, emergency personnel, etc. your exact location should the need arrise.

--Paper maps. Nothing fancy, but each time you enter a new state, try to stop and get a folding map. Always a good back-up if the Navigation comp. goes down.

--First Aid Kit. A nice one, not just a small one.

--Sun tan lotion, you'll need it for drives with no clouds in sight. It won't take long to get sunburn in a car with as many miles as you'll be driving.

 

 

OK...a few other tips:

Make photo copies of the following and keep separate from the normal places:

--drivers license

--insurance card

--car registration

--medications and medical information

--contact information (family and friends)

 

Make sure you advise your credit card companies you'll be making the trip. Otherwise you may find yourself not able to use them, because they'll think they are false charges or your card was stolen.

 

Join a hotel membership club, you'll save on hotels for multiple stays. Many times these can be combined or enhanced with a AAA membership (or AARP if you meet those requirements....LOL)

 

Always be sure to keep you cell phone fully charged. Limit the use of the phone, or be get a back-up battery for emergency use only, and make sure it's charged all the time.

 

There's more, but I'll add them later, there is so much to consider on such a long trip. Most of it comes natural to me or others who have taken a long trip. Of course I should have asked at the beginning if this was your first long trip....kinda sounded that way.

 

Anyhow, more later!

[CzarDestructo]

The brake pads and wiper blades are definitely going to be replaced before I go. I'm probably going to leave the tranny and differential fluid alone since thats the general consensus. I installed a Fumoto valve so the oil changes at any random shop along the way should be super easy. I can also just pick up a filter and jug of Mobile 1 at any Walmart along the way.

 

Checking the spare tire air pressure is a great idea, so is the tire plug kit considering most of the roads through Death Valley and Mojave are dirt. I always carry jumper cables and I'll be taking a tool bag with all the essential items. I also bought a cargo carrier to hitch to the back of my car for extra storage. I figure I'll put all the camping gear, cooler and stuff that can get wet in there and lock it all up.

 

I'm definitely going to have a GPS unit with all the latest maps loaded up and I might take out a Verizon wireless pay as you go phone since Tmobile will probably never work 90% of the time out west. I have all the USB chargers, DC inverter for the laptop, etc. I like the idea of cleaning the battery terminals, I know my battery is on the weak side and the terminals are a bit dirty. I'll give them a good cleaning and possibly replace the battery early rather than wait for winter.

 

Also a fantastic idea of photo coping all my information. I'll probably do that and stash the valet spare key somewhere under the car in case I get locked out in the middle of no where.

 

In terms of the sleeping arrangements I intend to do mostly camping rather than the hotel thing. Obviously in urban areas I'll end up in a hotel but I'm going to try and avoid that.

[TRSCobra]

+1 on the verizon phone. I spend a month in the mojave this year and got service only a handful of times with my tmobile phone, while people with verizon had no problems.

[CzarDestructo]

Here is the route, FYI, in case anyone has some input or notable stops along the way

I'd love to know of some of the local eateries and stops along the way if I'm going to be driving through some forum goers local towns.

[TRSCobra]

Along I-84 in Idaho, stop in Twin Falls off of I-93 and check out the bridge. It's quite the site. There's even a place to stop and walk under it.

[z28dreams]

This seems like a really bizarre list of places to stop. I assume you're visiting friends or family to be hitting up these tiny cities?

 

My one note is that if you're driving through Chicago, but have never been there, definitely stop in. It's an amazing city. I'd compare it to a smaller, friendlier NYC.

 

Feel free to PM me about any of the bigger cities you're stopping in - I can give recommendations for Chicago, Denver, SF, and Vegas.

[CzarDestructo]

Well my general aim is to avoid big cities whenver possible for several reasons. Biggest reason is my car is going to be packed with tons of gear and has out of state plates which will make me a prime target. I don't want my trip to be spoiled by having all my gear stolen. I also figure going into big cities alone will probably be a miserable affair. I'd prefer to camp out because its cheaper and I'd rather see the landscape rather than city scape. Besides I doubt I'd have nearly enough time to hit all these cities and REALLY get to see them in the alotted time I have. I'd prefer to visit cities by flying and making a weekend trip out of it.

 

I want to stop outside Chicago because it's a good distance for a solid day of driving. I can check out the great lakes the next day and continue to Badlands National Park.

 

edit: in case anyone was interested in what a cargo rack and a 2" hitch would look like on a Legacy...

Cargo Rack1

Cargo Rack2

Pulling in and out of driveways or inclines is a bit tricky. This cargo rack has a 2.5" lift(can be seen from the side view) from the hitch height but it's still not enough to avoid smacking the end of the rack when driving over mild inclines. I might look into an adapter for extra lift. I'm going to put a U-Bolt around the neck at the end of the rack so that gets worn out rather than the actual rack.

[Molal24]

You'll be going through Toledo. There are many good restaurants in the area if you are interested. We are the city with the most restaurants in the nation... lol

[LongHiway]

I did a similar trip, many years ago.

 

Smaller, less known places along the way;

 

Wall Drug in SD. If you travel along I-80, you'll stop. It's right off the interstate and it's not worth more than an hour's stay. I seem to think it's like being on drugs after driving on a flat hiway with nothing to see.

 

Looks liek you are going to Glacier National Park. Beautiful scenary and a nice ride for a Subaru. I think this is in Montana, in the SW corner before Glacier, is the Wind Caves National Park. It's hot outside and you enter this cave with a constant wind and temperatures of about 40 degrees - takes an hour.

 

The ride south to San Francisco is very scenic, Big Sur and California's wine country are worth a stop.

 

I got a kick out of the surfer beaches south of LA.

 

In Arizona, I'd spend a day in Sedona. The rock formations are really spectacular, think of the buttes in the old cowboy movies. The ride immediately north out of Sedona on your way to the Grand Canyon, is another road made for a Subaru. Mountain switchback and all that. You basically go from the desert floor to the high deseret plateau that the top of the GC is on.

 

Bryce and Zion Canton in Utah are again really scenic, like being on another planet.

 

Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park north of Denver (& stop in Boulder) is more scenic beauty and a another good Subie drive.

 

I could go on and on. Leave your watch at home, it's more fun not to be on a schedule.

[vaccaroja]

If you do not have it already get a AAA gold (unlimited miles) card incase you need to get towed anywhere including back to boston.

[vaccaroja]

The brake pads and wiper blades are definitely going to be replaced before I go. I'm probably going to leave the tranny and differential fluid alone since thats the general consensus. I installed a Fumoto valve so the oil changes at any random shop along the way should be super easy. I can also just pick up a filter and jug of Mobile 1 at any Walmart along the way.

 

Checking the spare tire air pressure is a great idea, so is the tire plug kit considering most of the roads through Death Valley and Mojave are dirt. I always carry jumper cables and I'll be taking a tool bag with all the essential items. I also bought a cargo carrier to hitch to the back of my car for extra storage. I figure I'll put all the camping gear, cooler and stuff that can get wet in there and lock it all up.

 

I'm definitely going to have a GPS unit with all the latest maps loaded up and I might take out a Verizon wireless pay as you go phone since Tmobile will probably never work 90% of the time out west. I have all the USB chargers, DC inverter for the laptop, etc. I like the idea of cleaning the battery terminals, I know my battery is on the weak side and the terminals are a bit dirty. I'll give them a good cleaning and possibly replace the battery early rather than wait for winter.

 

Also a fantastic idea of photo coping all my information. I'll probably do that and stash the valet spare key somewhere under the car in case I get locked out in the middle of no where.

 

In terms of the sleeping arrangements I intend to do mostly camping rather than the hotel thing. Obviously in urban areas I'll end up in a hotel but I'm going to try and avoid that.

 

 

Maybe an extra car battery just in case.