Classic car road trip checklist

Nothing beats the thrill of a classic road-trip. Whether it’s winding across the B Roads of England or cruising past the dramatic peninsulas of the French Riviera, your classic Jaguar will be in its element.

Before booking your self-drive holiday, check that your planned route does not include towns or cities that you are not able to drive your classic. Many places like London in the UK have low emission zones, we’ve provided a couple of useful links below to help you:

• Low emission zones
• Traffic restrictions and urban access regulations

Once you set off, you shouldn’t have a care in the world. Just you, your car and the road ahead. But to reach this state of classic car nirvana, it’s important to put some preparation in ahead of time.

We’ve put together a useful checklist to prepare for your dream driving holiday:

In car toolkit

• GB car stickers
• Spare fuel can
• Torch
• Spare headlight bulb kit
• High viz jackets and warning triangle
• First aid kit
• Breathalyser
• Jump leads or a battery booster. We’ve found these very handy.
• Currency for any penalties incurred.

Service checks

There are simple things you can do yourself to make sure your car is in good, roadworthy condition such as checking your tyre pressures and tread, topping up your oil, and surveying the engine bay carefully for coolant leaks, power steering leaks and oil level, brake fluid level and gearbox oil level. These simple tasks are vital to keeping your car running smoothly on the road and to stop your engine overheating.

• Fit headlamp beam deflectors for Continental driving.
• Oil
• Screen washer fluid and coolant.
• Perishables
• Age of tyres, long distance, fast speed and temperature all affect tyre wear and tear. Don’t forget to check the spare!
• Working radio – KWE can apply a bluetooth adapter to your original radio so you can stream music from your smartphone.
• Adjust suspension for heavy loads. Pump rear tyres 38 psi. With a KWE suspension, we can set your car up for a loaded vehicle.
• Brakes
• Steering
• Check the battery is not flat and the car starts in advance of the day of your trip!

Documents

• Valid insurance
• MOT
• Breakdown cover
• Sat Nav with updated routes
• Driving permits

Our simple checklist can give you peace of mind ahead of your trip; but the most important thing to remember is your sense of adventure! Have an unforgettable holiday and we’ll see you on the other side.