Motor Expo 2026

Long-distance travel for our cars in this era (even if they are 20 years old) is not considered far at all. For example, a round trip from Bangkok–Chiang Mai, including detours and city driving, would not exceed 3,000 km. This is not a distance that would carry a high risk of the car breaking down mid-journey and becoming unusable. The reason we fear car breakdowns during long trips comes from the inconvenience, which can sometimes be beyond repair. All planned schedules fail. You can't even find a garage or service center that knows how to fix it, or if you do, they lack the necessary spare parts. Do you believe that in almost all cases, the cause of our cars breaking down mid-journey is not due to the car's quality, but rather the “incompetence” of the mechanic who repairs it or is responsible for inspection? The only exception is car owners of the “drive only” type, who do nothing but refuel. This means they don't check what an owner or user should check, such as coolant level, engine oil level, brake fluid level, battery acid level (for those requiring distilled water top-up), and they don't send the car for scheduled maintenance. For these people, no one can help.

Mostly, what I find is often caused by the carelessness, negligence, or laziness of mechanics, both in repair work and inspection. If you have some mechanical knowledge and understanding, you can reduce the risk by inspecting it yourself. Cars that break down mid-journey and cannot be driven further usually have a few causes:  water hoses, air hoses (commonly called air ducts), fuel hoses, and belts. Other failures must be considered bad luck or force majeure, such as parts breaking prematurely, a fuel pump deteriorating until it stops working, or some electrical wires becoming damaged.

When the engine is “cold,” try inspecting the water hoses, especially the main hoses, which are large and usually one on top and one on the bottom. Open the radiator cap to allow air (or water) to escape, then squeeze the hose flat and check the material at the crease to see if it's still pliable and normal. If there are cracks or it's brittle, replace it immediately. Even if it's in good condition, but if you know its age and it's over 4 years old, replace it anyway because old water hoses are ready to burst at any time (as they endure high pressure in the cooling system) even if the material still feels soft. Fuel hoses are harder to check. Try bending them to see if they are stiff and brittle to a worrying extent. Check around them and the metal pipes for leaks. But if you know their age, for example, over 5 years old, and their condition is still passable, don't hesitate; order a complete replacement set.

Inspect the water pump and alternator drive belt by looking at the sides and the “belly” of the belt (the inner rib). The outer side usually shows no symptoms. It is important to inspect the entire length. Remember any marks, or if there are none, make a mark, then start the engine for the shortest possible time, without letting it fully catch, just enough for the crankshaft to rotate once. This allows the sides and belly of the belt that were initially hidden in the groove to move out so you can inspect the entire length. I have never seen any car mechanic inspect belts this way. Most only look at the part that happens to be outside the groove. Even finding a light to clearly see it is difficult. Most belts that are damaged enough to risk breaking mid-journey have only one critical “wound.” If this spot happens to be embedded in the groove, then it's our “bad luck.”

I would like to ask master mechanics to please teach your apprentices the correct inspection methods, because the inconvenience caused to customers by such small matters can be very severe. Non-counterfeit belts these days are of high quality and have a very long lifespan. If adjusted to the correct tension, they will last no less than 50,000 km. If you know the belt's age and it's over 30,000 km (this is an approximation; “round numbers” have no technical meaning), replace it or order a new one right away.

Tire pressure, or the air pressure inside the tires, must be correct as specified by the car manufacturer. If it's not correct, it's better for it to be slightly overinflated; there's no harm other than a rougher ride than it should be. Anyone who says that if it's too hard, the tire tread will wear excessively, don't believe them; that comes from ancient textbooks more than half a century old. Radial tires used in our cars don't have this problem. Measurements should be taken when the tires are cold. Once you have the correct value, there's no need to measure again. Because when tires are hot from the flexing of the tread and sidewall, from the road surface, and from hot brake discs, the pressure will increase by 2-4 psi, for example, from 32 to 35 or 36. You don't need to release air; car manufacturers have already taken this into account. >Read related article here

Choose an appropriate cruising speed. Exceeding the legal limit slightly is fine because these limits are often arbitrarily set without proper basis. Wide roads with excellent surfaces are limited to 90 km/h, but roads with poor surfaces, many trucks sharing them, and no streetlights illuminating the road allow speeds up to 120 km/h. And there's no need to try to overtake as many vehicles as possible throughout the journey, as it barely reduces travel time. It only increases danger and fuel consumption. Imagine us walking in a single file on a sidewalk at a normal walking speed, and you are the 10th person from the front, heading somewhere.

...you would only reach your destination about 10 seconds later than the person at the front. It means nothing. Driving is no different. The most important thing is maintaining a sufficient distance from the car in front. Why must this distance be kept sufficiently far?

The simple answer is because we cannot begin braking at the same instant as the car in front, and we might not brake as effectively as the car in front either. The moment the car in front brakes, its speed will immediately decrease, but our car will still be moving at a constant speed, causing it to rush towards the car in front. During the time our eyes begin to see the brake lights illuminate, our brain perceives and decides that we must also brake, otherwise, we will hit the back of that car. Our brain sends a command to our leg muscles, and then it still takes time to lift our foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal, and then extend our leg to press the brake pedal. After pressing, it takes a period of time before the brake pads are compressed against the brake disc and braking force begins. Throughout all this time, our car will continuously drive closer to the back of the car in front. If the time we allowed, which is the maintained distance, is less than what is needed, then you'll be calling an insurance company representative, and potentially causing trouble for hundreds of other road users.

According to international standards that provide maximum safety, the following distance from the car in front is defined as half of the speed in km/h, using meters as the unit of length. For example, if driving behind a car at 100 km/h, a distance of 50 meters should be maintained. However, given traffic conditions and Thai driving habits, reducing it by half is still acceptable. And if circumstances dictate, it can be allowed to be reduced to a quarter, which is actually no longer a safe distance, but still better than the commonly used one-tenth. Therefore, from the previous example, the distance that should be maintained at 100 km/h is approximately 50 meters down to 30 meters.

Before traveling, you must get enough rest. Don't see the next day as a holiday for travel, then sit drinking alcohol until 3 AM, planning to sleep fully the following night. Doing this might lead to sleeping in a rectangular wooden box instead, because “falling asleep at the wheel” during a long journey is the most dangerous thing, and it can also lead to the death of passengers and other road users. The moment you experience the first drowsy nod, you must stop the car in a safe place and immediately shake off the sleepiness, because this is a sign that you have one foot in the coffin or jail. Stop, wash your face at the nearest spot, and immediately drink a strong caffeinated beverage. Fellow travelers also have a role in making the journey safe. Don't let the driver have nothing to think about; find light topics to chat about periodically, but don't be annoying or discuss life problems in the car. Mostly, what I find is that everyone sleeps comfortably, leaving the driver to fight sleepiness alone. If this happens, you might wake up talking to the grim reaper instead.

If you want to reach your destination quickly, you don't need to drive extra fast, and you don't need to try to overtake other cars all the way. Simply avoid unnecessary stops and don't rest for too long. Only the driver and passengers should rest for safety. There is no such thing as resting the car. I don't have enough space here for a technical explanation, so I will give you a “ready-made” answer: no part of a car needs to stop and rest during a long journey. Only people need rest. If you can drive without forcing yourself, or if there's someone to switch with, it's even better for our car not to turn off the engine at all. Wishing everyone a safe journey there and back.

Article source Autoinfo