Team-BHP - A Guide on Essentials of a Long Drive

Also take photostat copies of RC, Insurance & licence (if possible get it attested by Gazetted officer). If stopped by Outstation Police, show this copy instead of original. And also get fuel bills from all the filling stations. This will help you to prove that you are on transit.

Sort of a percuations: Shouldn't take a car fresh out of service on a long drive. Drive it for a couple of days to make sure that everything is fine. You don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere courtesy someone forgetting to tighten a nut!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohit

Best advice ever....dont fix what aint broke....happened more than a couple of times in my Uno...one the horn went kaput, another time the headlamps....both because some idiot fouled with the fuse box during servicing.....
one more time some other trouble cropped up ....so I finally wold get the car serviced only AFTER my long drives and never before them :)

Very well explained and is very useful for every one of us while going on long trips.

Adding: Checking the condition of your spare tyre and the tools for replacing it, like the jack and wheel spanner. Most of us dont check this and get stuck on the road when your jack is missing or the spare tyre don't have enough air preassure.

Hey this is a very good thread. Especially the part about how not to attract the attention of thieves. It's something I've never really thought about before, but it makes a lot of sense. Great effort, Technocrat!

Technocrat, this is one of the most useful threads offering a lot of insight into planning trips. There are so many things one realises too late. By the way, the turmeric powder idea is a first of its kind and I know nobody who has suggested this before. I have taken a printout of the write up and am keeping it in my car.
Also, I hope you never have to use your iron rod, your gun or even your chilly powder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimi

nice one !! hey btw...i have a Baseball bat under my front Seat !!
hope that never comes in handy !!

Ditto... Kids size small all Aluminium one..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimi

nice one !! hey btw...i have a Baseball bat under my front Seat !!

And what do you plan to do with it? Just in case somebody challenges you for a quick game...rl:

On a serious note, people shouldn't carry any weapons in their cars unless they really know how to use it and when to use it, else you could get into lot of trouble. If you attack somebody with it in case of road rage, you can't claim self-defense, carrying weapon shows intent. If you do carry a weapon, make sure about two things:

1) Use it only in case of robbery or car-jacking, self-defence clause applies only to such cases and not road rage situation. This was clarified by supreme court last year.
2) Know how to use it effectively, which means more than just swinging it.

Technocrat, this post is excellent. As someone who has also been doing long drives, I can only add very little. But still here is my two cents worth.

1. WIAA ( Or any Automobile Association ) road tulips are a good alternative to TTK maps etc. I have used them often and are quite reliable. But as I have posted in another thread, my latest route maps for my forthcoming summer trip to Kerala, I found was out of date.

2. I keep track of fuel usage, as well a log of my travels and Kms reading and time etc. I plan to post my logs of my 1997 Kerala trip online here so that everyone can access them and benefit.

3. List of COCO PPs enroute to ensure unadulterated petrol on the way.

4. List of hotels / motels / lodges enroute so that you can call in advance and check in, should program change for some reason.

Venkat