Driving back home: Cars collectively suffer from the "return trip syndrome"

       During the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, road trips are undoubtedly the best way for car owners to relieve work stress. While the travelers may be relaxed after the trip, their beloved cars are left "exhausted." Therefore, it’s essential for car owners to give their vehicles some careful care after a long journey.
　　“Foot massage”

　　During the Spring Festival, many car owners opt for road trips. After long-distance travel and exposure to various road conditions, their cars show signs of “fatigue.” As the “feet” of the vehicle, the tires are the first things that should be checked.    The Li Family Extreme

　　Li Hu, the technical director of an auto repair shop in our city, believes that sedans and SUVs have very different requirements when it comes to tires. Sedans generally use highway tires that offer good stability at high speeds, while off-road tires have much higher demands in terms of tread pattern, width, and strength. If you drive a sedan on poor mountain roads, even without any foreign objects puncturing the tires, the tread or sidewalls can still suffer significant wear. Additionally, after driving at high speeds of 120 to 160 kilometers per hour for extended periods, tire temperatures rise significantly, increasing tire pressure and the risk of blowouts, which poses hidden dangers for traffic accidents. If there are cracks on the tire surface or any embedded foreign objects, it's advisable to have the tires inspected at a repair shop promptly.
　　“Heart care”

　　“When traveling, refueling is naturally essential. In some areas with less developed infrastructure, high-octane gasoline may not be readily available,” Li Hu explains. Car manufacturers have specific requirements for gasoline octane ratings. Using low-octane or poor-quality gasoline can cause engine knocking and noise on one hand, and on the other, it can lead to substandard exhaust emissions, causing partial blockage in the exhaust pipe, resulting in poor exhaust flow, weakened engine power, and gradually increased fuel consumption. In more severe cases, internal engine components may be damaged.

　　Li Hu recommends that if your road trip covers long distances or remote routes, it’s best to carry gasoline that matches your engine’s specifications before setting off. Of course, after the road trip, it’s also advisable to have your car’s engine fuel system cleaned and maintained at a professional auto repair shop.
　　“Loosen up the joints”

　　Li Hu points out that many cars may look shiny on the outside, but their undercarriages are already rusting badly. Especially after a long journey, the car’s undercarriage has had “close encounters” with all kinds of road surfaces and deserves careful attention.

　　According to him, generally speaking, for domestically produced sedans priced under 200,000 RMB, if they are only driven on urban roads, checking the undercarriage once every 10,000 kilometers is usually fine. However, if the car has traveled on mountain roads or gravel roads, mud and other debris can easily stick to the undercarriage, causing a certain degree of corrosion. Even small stones constantly hitting the undercarriage can peel away its protective layer. Therefore, even if the car has only been driven a few thousand kilometers, it’s still important to have the undercarriage inspected.

　　In addition, a comprehensive inspection should be carried out on the car’s braking system, including brake pads, handbrake, and brake oil lines.