---
title: Checklists: Road Trip, Winter, Smog Check, New to Nevada
url: https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/
business: Xpress Oil & Lube (Xpress Oil & Lube Center)
shops: Reno Northwest: 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523, (775) 787-1000, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Reno South: 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 828-6996, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed; Carson City: 1861 E College Pkwy, Carson City, NV 89706, (775) 883-5823, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Gardnerville: 1293 US Hwy 395 N, Gardnerville, NV 89410, (775) 301-5912, Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm, Sat 9 am-3 pm, Sun closed
type: Drive-in oil change and vehicle maintenance, no appointment needed, since 1983
---

Today's coupons

- $10 off full-service oil change
- $5 off smog check
- $25 off transmission fluid service

[See all coupons](https://xpressoilandlube.com/coupons/)

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- Checklists

# Checklists

A checklist here is eight to fourteen steps you can run through in the driveway or hand to the technician at the window. Print it, tick it off, and bring what is left to the service center.

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Some jobs on a car are a visit; some are a walk around it with your phone light. Before a 400-mile drive to the coast you want to know the tire pressure, the wiper condition, the coolant level and when the oil was last done. Before a Washoe County smog check you want the check engine light off and enough driving since the battery was last disconnected to set the readiness monitors. These lists put the steps in order and say which ones we handle when you pull in.

## The lists

Each step has a short line of detail and, where a number is involved, its source. The steps you can do yourself say so; the ones that need a pit, a tester or a gauge point to the service page. None of them needs an appointment.

- [Before a road trip](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-a-road-trip/) and [before winter](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-winter/)
- [Before your smog check](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-your-smog-check/), for Reno and Sparks registrations
- [New to Nevada](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/new-to-nevada/): registration, the smog rule, altitude and the first local oil change
- Fleet onboarding, for the first call about a company account
- Used car first week and a teen driver's first car
- Between oil changes: the monthly walk-around

Print the list, do the driveway half, and drive in for the rest.

[11 steps, printable Before a road trip Before a long drive, get the oil changed if it is close to due, then check coolant, tire pressure including the spare, the A/C, the lights and the wipers. Leaving from Northern Nevada usually means climbing a pass and cr Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-a-road-trip/)[11 steps, printable Before winter Test the battery, confirm the coolant protects well below freezing, and replace wipers that streak before the first storm. Then check the lights, tire pressure, washer fluid and the oil grade, and put a small winter kit Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-winter/)[10 steps, printable Before your smog check First confirm your vehicle needs a test at all: Nevada requires smog checks only for vehicles registered in the urban parts of Washoe and Clark counties, and new vehicles, young hybrids and several other groups are exemp Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-your-smog-check/)[12 steps, printable New to Nevada: registering your car Register the car with the Nevada DMV, which includes a VIN inspection for a vehicle coming from another state, and find out whether your county requires a smog check. Then adjust the maintenance to the high desert: colde Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/new-to-nevada/)[11 steps, printable Fleet onboarding Start with a list of every vehicle and its oil specification, decide who can approve work, and set each vehicle's interval from its manual. After that, drivers can pull into any of our four service centers without a Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/fleet-onboarding/)[11 steps, printable Your used car's first week In the first week, find out what maintenance the car has had, then set a baseline: an oil change unless there is proof of a recent one, a look at every fluid and filter, and a walk around the lights and wipers. Sort the Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/used-car-first-week/)[12 steps, printable A teen driver's first car Teach a new driver to check the oil level, tire pressure and lights, to read the dashboard warning lights, and to keep a simple service log. Then start the car on a fresh baseline service and walk them through one visit Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/teen-drivers-first-car/)[11 steps, printable Between oil changes: a monthly five-minute check Check the oil level every few fill-ups, look under the car for fresh spots, and keep an eye on tire pressure, lights and washer fluid. Most problems that show up at an oil change gave a small warning weeks earlier, and t Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/between-oil-changes/)[10 steps, printable Before Tahoe in winter Before a winter Tahoe run, look at tire tread, put chains or cables in the trunk, have the battery tested and fill the washer reservoir with fluid rated for freezing temperatures. Then check the NDOT road report, because Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-tahoe-in-winter/)[10 steps, printable Before summer heat Before the first 90-degree week, have the A/C checked, confirm the coolant level and mix, and test a battery that is more than three years old. Set tire pressure, replace a dirty cabin filter and keep water in the car fo Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-summer-heat/)[10 steps, printable Before a smog retest Have the cause of the failure repaired first, then drive normally for several days so the car's readiness monitors can reset before you retest. Clearing the code and testing the same afternoon is the most common rea Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-a-smog-retest/)[11 steps, printable Before selling your car Pull together the service records, get a fresh oil change with a maintenance check, and fix the small things a buyer notices, like a dead bulb or streaking wipers. If the buyer will register the car in the Washoe testing Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/before-selling-your-car/)[10 steps, printable A new driver's first month In the first month, learn what each dashboard warning light means, check the oil level and tire pressure once a week, and find the oil grade and service schedule in the owner's manual. Know where the registration, i Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/new-driver-first-month/)[11 steps, printable Company vehicle handover At every handover, record the odometer, the next oil-change due date, the registration and smog status, and any existing damage with photos. Then check fluids, tires, lights and the safety kit so the new driver starts wi Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/company-vehicle-handover/)[10 steps, printable After a long trip After a long road trip, check the oil level and how close the next change is, look over the tires and windshield, and clean the bugs and grit off the grille and wipers. If the trip ran through dust or smoke, have the air Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/after-a-long-trip/)[12 steps, printable After buying a used truck In the first week, change the oil and filter so you know exactly what is in the engine, then have the transmission, differential and transfer case fluids checked against the manual. Confirm the coolant type, test the bat Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/after-buying-a-used-truck/)[11 steps, printable Towing season prep Before the first tow of the season, put the truck on its severe-service schedule: fresh oil, transmission fluid and differential fluid checked against the manual, and coolant in good shape. Then test the trailer lights, Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/towing-season-prep/)[10 steps, printable A wildfire smoke day On a heavy smoke day, set the ventilation to recirculate, keep the windows closed and turn the headlights on. Do not dry-wipe ash off the windshield, and once the smoke clears, have the cabin and engine air filters looke Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/wildfire-smoke-day/)[10 steps, printable The first freeze When the first freezing night is in the forecast, test any battery older than three years, replace summer washer fluid with a freeze-rated mix and confirm the coolant protects well below freezing. Then set the tire press Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/first-freeze/)[10 steps, printable Every 10,000 miles Every 10,000 miles, make sure the oil has been changed on the schedule your manual sets, inspect both air filters and replace the cabin filter if it is near its interval. Look over the fluid levels, wipers, lights and ti Read more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/checklists/every-10000-miles/)