It’s May in LA, which means that the days are feeling more and more summery. Daylight hours are stretching later and later but it’s not quite peak mosquito season, and those occasional Gray May moments are still keeping temperatures in the (mostly) tolerable range. This is one of the most beautiful times to live in our city – and for LA’s millions of drivers, one of the prime times to hit the road. 

Getting Your Ride Ready for Summer

  • Check your vital signs: Checking your car’s vitals before you even turn the ignition can help prevent breakdowns and accidents farther down the road. Wait until your car’s been off the road for at least three hours before getting under the hood, and then ensure that…
    • …your tire pressure matches the PSI listed in your owner’s manual
    • …each fluid reservoir is adequately full
    • …all your lights are in working order
    • …your tires have enough tread (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends “the penny test” – hold a penny in the tread with Abe Lincoln’s head upside down, and if you can see the top of his head, you should make your way to your nearest tire shop.)

(Source: NHTSA; link here.)

  • Stash an emergency kit: With summer’s siren call beckoning, many Angelenos are likely planning trips away from our sunny city. Many families are looking forward to the end of the school year, and many workers can expect a long weekend come Memorial Day. One of the most classic ways to ring in a SoCal summer is the good, old-fashioned road trip. But anything can happen on the open road, and a flat tire en route to Joshua Tree can go from annoying to dangerous very quickly. Avoid disaster by stowing a couple of gallon jugs of water, a battery-powered headlamp, an emergency blanket, jumper cables, and a tire jack. There are even some nifty charger blocks on the market today that can juice up your phone and your car battery. Safety first!
  • Grab a dedicated car trash bag: Though we hope the scenic beauty of SoCal would be enough to dissuade you from littering on our state’s highways, byways, and boulevards, you can make the temptation even easier to resist by keeping a reusable car trash bag at the ready. Just empty it out when you get to your destination, and you’ll be good to go – that way, you can enjoy some classic road trip snacks without all the pesky pollution.

Green, Clean Machine

Though opting for an at-home car wash might feel like the water-wise move, this isn’t actually the case. Any soaps and suds that you hose away – not to mention the built-up grime from who-knows-where getting rinsed off your ride – will get washed down into the street and eventually make their way to our storm drains and waterways. 

Commercial car washes safely dispose of leftover soaps and chemicals, diverting that runoff away from our waterways. That said, not all commercial car washes are created equal; they can still use massive amounts of water. You’ll want to search around for an “eco car wash,” or a car wash that uses recycled water (which many do!) 

But if a commercial car wash isn’t in your budget, opt for a sponge/rag bath as opposed to a hose, and select a hydrophobic and/or biodegradable cleanser option. Depending on your dexterity, an oil catch pan or tarp can play double-duty as a suds-catcher. 

Are you and your ride ready for some warm weather wheeling? Email us a few of your tips and tricks for the road and we’ll share them on social media: LAStormwater@LACity.org