When you head for the beach, mountains or your favorite summer vacation spot, you take a well-earned week off the clock. But your family car works hardest when you’re not working at all. The long hauls, heavy loads and high heat involved in the typical summer road trip put unusual stress on certain systems. Here’s how to get your car ready for its “working vacation.”

• Keep your engine cool. If you find yourself stranded on the side of the road, chances are your cooling system put you there. The U.S. Department of Transportation ranks overheating as the No. 1 reason for summer breakdowns, and the older your car, the greater the likelihood that it will overheat. According to experts, vehicles five years old and older—regardless of mileage—present the biggest risk for cooling system trouble.

Besides checking the coolant level (and filling it to “Max” line on the overflow tank with a 50-50 mix of the appropriate type), inspect the hoses, too. Bad hoses represent the most common cause of cooling-system failure and subsequent overheating. When the engine is cool, look for cracks, tears, leaks or bulges. Then, squeeze each hose from one end to the other, feeling for mushy spots. Hoses usually deteriorate from the inside out, beginning at the areas closest to the clamps. They might look fine from the outside; you can judge their real condition only by fingering them.

If any single hose shows one of the warning signs above, have them all replaced before your journey’s start. Replacing hoses one at a time always proves more expensive and troublesome in the long run.

• Power up the electrical system. Batteries trail only cooling systems on the list of summertime trouble spots, and experts identify heat as the prime battery killer. Today’s tightly packed engine compartments put batteries closer to hot components.  In fact, engine heat can deplete a battery’s electrolyte solution and actually run it dry over time. A battery typically lasts three to five years. If your battery lies in that age range, have it checked—along with the charging system—by a professional before a trip. AAA New York members can find a reliable auto repair shop through the Club’s Approved Auto Repair (AAR) network at AAA.com.

• Roll on perfectly round tires. Under-inflated tires not only have greater rolling resistance (which decreases gas mileage) but also become more susceptible to heat build-up (which leads to blow-outs). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, under-inflation contributes to about 23,000 blowouts a year.

By checking the pressure, “you’ll get better fuel economy, your tires will last longer and you’ll help maximize your  vehicle’s safety,” says Dan Zielinski of the Rubber Manufacturers Association, a leading tire-safety group. Zielinski emphasizes that the proper inflation pressure appears not on the sidewall but on the vehicle’s tire-inflation placard (usually a sticker inside the driver’s-side doorjamb).

• Watch your weight. Besides telling you exactly how much to pump up the tires, the inflation placard also shows the vehicle’s payload capacity—the total weight of people and cargo that the car can safely carry. That becomes critical on a vacation trip, when you tend to over-pack beach chairs, bikes, ice chests and other summer-fun accoutrements. For example, a late model Toyota Corolla has a payload capacity of 850 pounds—say, a 160-pound Dad, a 130-pound Mom, two 100-pound kids and 360 pounds of luggage and other stuff.

Exceeding the weight limit strains shocks, springs and especially tires, increasing the risk of a blowout. And an overloaded vehicle not only takes much longer to accelerate and stop, but also doesn’t handle safely on turns. “In a sudden turn or swerve, an overweight vehicle will roll too far to the outside, which causes the spring and shock system to rebound, pushing the vehicle back to the inside,” says John Nielsen, director of AAA’s Automotive Repair, Buying Services and Consumer Information. “This creates a rocking effect that can make steering so difficult that a driver might lose control.”

Where you pack the weight matters, too. If your vehicle has a roof carrier, don’t load it more than 18 inches high, and don’t exceed 100 pounds. Exceeding those limits increases the risk of rollover, among other hazards.

• Tighten your belt. Your car probably has a single serpentine belt that snakes around several pulleys in the engine compartment. It runs the alternator that charges the battery, the water pump that circulates coolant and several other devices.  In other words, it affects just about every system under the hood. 

To check the belt properly, you have to get your hands dirty again. Twist it slightly with your fingers (with the engine off, of course) and look for broken, cracked or chunked-out ribs on the underside. And, when you start the car, listen for squealing or chirping under the hood, especially on acceleration. The noise might signal a slipping belt or a failing tensioner.

Serpentine belts generally last for four years. If you replace yours, ask the tech to give you the old one and keep it in your car. Belts come in a bazillion sizes, and small shops can’t stock every one. If yours breaks on some future vacation in the middle of nowhere, you’ll have a spare good enough to get you home without a long wait in a strange place.