Safe to Drive?
Asked by Jimmy Nov 28, 2018 at 01:50 PM about the 2001 Pontiac Bonneville SE
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Hi! I am getting some repairs and routine maintenance done on my 2001
Bonneville. Even though it is an older vehicle, I need to take it home for the
holidays which is roughly 500 miles away. Would this be safe to do with this
older vehicle? It has roughly 105k miles on it and the service engine soon light
has been on for a couple of years.
2 Answers
The light has been on for a couple of years. I have NO way of knowing what is going on with your car without the trouble codes. You know your car so you should make the judgement call. Rental cars are pretty cheap and you might want to consider one. My truck has 205,000 miles and I would drive it anywhere but I take care of it.
If you have not maintained the vehicle I would not take a drive of this length unless I was an adventure freak! I do a 500 mile trip about once a month and every time I go, I check tires Tread) and tire pressure, coolant level, oil level, belt tension and belt condition, battery and terminal condition, lights, wipers, heat / AC, power steering fluid, windshield washer fluid, and cruise control operation. There are other things but i think you get the jist of it. I have never been left stranded and don't intend to start out with any unknowns about my vehicle. Sure things can happen to anyone on the road but being confident in your vehicle's ability to safely get you to your destination is extremely important to me. If you do not trust your car, renting is a good idea since they will also send help if you do get into a jam.