Holiday Driving Tips

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Right? Right?  Um…hello?  Ok, so maybe once the gifts are wrapped, the food is prepared and Santa has left an abundance of presents and cookie crumbs, then you can take a breather and enjoy the holiday cheer.  These next couple weeks will be hectic, we know.  It’s a great time of the year, but the stress that goes into it can be overwhelming.  There’s hope, however.  In today’s blog, we’re providing some quick tips for navigating your holiday season safely. 

1.)   If you’re going on a road trip, please make sure your car is serviced properly.  Come into our dealership anytime for oil, brake fluid and tire condition checks.

2.)   SLEEP WELL.  Get a good night’s sleep before you venture into the world.

3.)   Plan your route; this will help you in the long run.  Unsafe detours can be dangerous and expensive.

4.)   Bring a paper map.  GPS is the wave of the future, but a paper map can act as backup if you’re GPS malfunctions.

5.)   Buy snacks and drinks before you leave, because stocking up at gas stations can be costly.

6.)   Tell at least 1 family member where you’re headed.  So, if something happens, you have a reliable person to get the message out.

7.)   DO NOT announce on social media that you’re leaving for vacation.  Secure your home and leave at least one light on.  This will detract burglars from your home.

8.)   Leave early.  If the common rush hour time is 9:30, leave a couple hours early to compensate for time.

Do you have any tips to add?  Feel free!  Have a safe drive and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

How Servicing Your Car Can Extend its Life (Even Further!)

As a car buyer, you’ve experienced the uneasy feeling of maintaining your vehicle.  In most recent years, advances in technology have lessened visits to the service department, but routine service should still not be missed.  Our dealership is a safe haven for your car, catering to its specific needs, like a preventative care center.  One of the main questions you ask when purchasing a new or used vehicle is: How reliable it is? In today’s blog, we provide some tips to maintaining your vehicle and how to extend the already long life of your vehicle.

1.    Read the vehicle manual and schedule maintenance appointments - Keeping up with your vehicle’s scheduled maintenance is key to avoiding costly problems to the cooling system, drivetrain, suspension etc…

2.    Call your dealership and ask questions – We’re here to help.  If you have any service questions feel free to call us with your questions. 

3.    Have your dealership check fluids – Always come in and ask us check the level of antifreeze, oil, transmission fluid, and brake fluid regularly. 

4.    Change oil regularly – By changing your oil when your dealership requests it, you can protect your engine.  Every car is different, so call us to get the exact information for your specific vehicle make and model.

5.    Request a fluid flush every two years – By flushing the power steering, brake, and cooling system fluid when it is pertinent, you can cleanse your car’s liquids in one fell swoop.  However, if you have gone more than 50k miles without a change, on many transmissions, it is not the greatest idea to do so.  It can cause breakdown varnish and other solids that have built up in the transmission over time.

6.    Have the tires rotated – Having your tires rotated at your nearest dealership should be second nature.  By doing so, you can avoid uneven wear and tear on the tread, extending the life of your tires.

These are just a few tips to help you maintain your vehicle in your daily commute, feel free to add your comments below!

Quick Tips: Ideas For Keeping Your Car Running Great

Life is a blur, sometimes.  Work can become stressful as the day begins and ends with an aching neck and sore feet.  The last thing on your mind is maintaining your car’s performance.  You’re more in the realm of kicking your feet up, getting a bite to eat, and catching the last part of 2 in a Half Men.  Car maintenance is very important, so how do you know if you’re over doing it or ‘under’ doing it?  In today’s blog, we discuss ways to keep your vehicle running great. 

         

          First, how often are you supposed to receive maintenance?  All of your answers lie in a small space known as the glove box.  Every car is supplied with a maintenance schedule-in the owner’s manual or in a separate maintenance log book-that includes details that vehicle’s need to sustain long and healthy lives.   Taking a few minutes to assimilate the requirements will help you avoid the following car-maintenance pitfalls. 

          Tire Inflation & Rotation

          Tires should be checked regularly, because over time, they leak naturally.  Problems can arise from under inflated tires, which suckS up more gas, as well as over inflated tires, that wear them out sooner.  Plus, front and rear tires wear differently and should be rotated to even that wear.  Your owner’s manual will have a recommendation for pressure and rotation.

          Wiper Tales

          Fall is the best time for wiper replacement.  After a certain period of time your wipers will be useless, leaving you prone to accidents.  Depending on location, wiper replacement may be an annual affair in the Southwest to a biannual chore in northern climates.

          Tune-Ups

         

          Tune-Ups are almost non-existent.  Valves no longer need adjusting, ignition timing is computer controlled and there are no more carburetors.  All you really have left is the spark plugs.  These are usually good for 100,000 miles! Save 60,000 and 120,000-mile services for timing belt, and coolant.

Got your own tip you want to ad?  Feel free!

Improve Health While Driving

The average American spends approximately 101 minutes a day driving.  Many times we get stuck in serious traffic or we find ourselves having to wait at endless lights.  Have you ever thought to yourself, that you could be doing 9 million other things instead of just sitting in your car?  Do you like to multi-task? Are you procrastinating on taking better care of your health?  Well, I have the solution.  I will help you make better use of your drive time and improve your health while keeping your eyes on the road.  Here are 10 things you can do while driving that can help increase your health, making you stronger while sitting behind the wheel.

Chin and Neck Exercises

Do belly Busters

Spine Stretchers

Tension Tacklers

Best time to drink your water

Moisturize your cuticles

Drink you smoothies and juice instead of soda

Steering Wheel Isometrics

Park further away

Meditation

You can firm up that chin and neck by using a rubber or foam ball. Place the ball below your chin and below the larynx. Hold the ball in place with your hand, and use your chin to press down on the ball. Squeeze the ball gently downward with your chin. Do as many repetitions as you are comfortable with, stopping before your neck muscles get tired.

While driving, pretend you’re zipping a tight pair of jeans. Pull your belly button toward your spine and your lower belly away from your waistband. Hold, engaging your abs.  Up the intensity, quickly exhale 20 times. As you breathe out, contract your lower abs even harder to pulse them in and out.

While stuck in traffic, grip the steering wheel with your hands at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and round your back. Take a breath and release. This stretches the area between the shoulder blades and mid-back.

While stuck at a red light, tilt your right ear down towards your right shoulder. Relax your shoulders and breathe into the left side of your neck, stretching the left side of your neck. Hold for 10 seconds.  At the next light, repeat on the other side.

Steering wheel isometrics can really create a great workout, without you having to set aside 20 minutes during your day. With isometrics, you can use your body’s own resistance, but you can also employ stationary objects in your exercises such as a steering wheel that can heed some great results.

We know that water is essential to our health and if you aren’t doing this already, try to always have bottled water in your car.  You can easily get the required amount of hydration if you make this a habit.  The other option is juice or smoothies for your daily fruit or vegetable intakes.  There are several delicious versions located at places like gas stations and Starbucks.

Other areas that require healthy attention are our hands. Try moisturizing your cuticles by using a moisturizing lip balm.  This can really help make your nails grow and keep your hands looking lovely.

Of course the obvious isn’t so obvious sometimes. Instead of rushing to find the perfect parking spot; park further away and walk brisk to get a little bit more cardio in.  Heck, if you have the time-do laps around the parking lot!

Driving can be stressful but it can also create Zen. To practice Moving Meditation you must fully accept where you find yourself. Divest yourself of all expectations and standards of technique and take that clear, observing, unobserving, unobstructed state of being, and keep on driving!

These tips will not only improve your health and keep you fit, they will also make your drive time seem more productive.  Pssssst…give it a whirl and pass it on!

Here's a list of 10 great things you can do to improve your health while driving:

How to Survive Traffic During the School Year

School is back in effect for most students!  After a swift summer, our children are on their way back to the learning cave, provided they’re given a backpack on all the tools necessary to make their journey.  Now that the kiddies are safe and sound on school grounds, you can breathe easy…in that respect, at least.  Now, you have to navigate around school zones, more traffic and insane drivers.  However, you’re in luck!  Today, our blog provides ways to avoid the traffic of school zones, pedestrians and cranky motorists!

The average commuter lost 34 hours or a full workweek because of traffic in 2009, according to the latest Urban Mobility Report.  In larger cities, traffic increases from office parks being built on rural land and the lag of mass transit continues to add fuel to the fire. 

Avoid the Traffic!

Trapster, a free iPhone application allows drivers to scan the area for known speed traps, police hangouts, speed cameras or even stop-light cameras.  Using the GPS capabilities in your smart phone it uses reported speed traps in Trapster’s network database to give voice alerts of approaching traps.  This technology is due to a network of over 5 million Trapster users that constantly contribute trap locations.   

Having Trouble Finding Your Car in the School Parking Lot?

Car Finder Plus is an app that records your position when you leave your car, tracking your location in the process.  The GPS stores this location and when you’re looking for your vehicle after running your errands it provides a display of where to locate your car.   

Avoid High Gas Prices, Take the Short Road:

GasBuddy is a lifesaver for savvy individuals with a frugal mindset.  Gas changes fluctuate at the drop of a hat, sometimes varying as much as 20% within a couple city blocks.  GasBuddy is a comprehensive source for up to date gas prices.  The app lays out prices on a map and allows the user to choose one that fits their budget.  Priceless.

Gas Saving Myths

Gas fluctuates so often, that it’s difficult to find a consistent method of getting affordable gas ALL of the time.  With the emergence of smartphones, we can search the nearby area for gas station prices, but it’s still difficult to consistently find a price we don’t mind paying.  Sure you want to save gas, but there's a lot of bad advice on how to do it. Some of it makes no difference, and some of it can wind up costing you.  So, here’s a look at a few misconceptions:

1.)    Filling Your Tank in the Morning

Many people have heard that filling your gas in the morning is opportune because the fuel is cold.  The theory is that fluids are more dense at lower temperatures, so a gallon of cold gas has more molecules than a gallon of warmer gas.  However, the temperature varies little during the course of the day, so there’s little difference in early gas.

2.)    Changing Your Air Filter

A clean air filter WON’T save you gas.  Engines have sensors that automatically adjust the fuel-air mixture as an increasingly clogged air filter choles off the engine’s air supply.

3.)    Using Premium Fuel

Lately, premium gas has been a hard sell for gas stations.  However, many drivers still fill up with premium gas.  Newer cars for which premium is recommended, but not required, won’t suffer with regular fuel.  The result is a slight reduction in peak horsepower that a normal daily driver won’t even notice. 

4.)    Pumping Up Your Tires

Ok.  First and foremost, proper tire inflation is important.  Under-inflated tires can lead to accidents and poor handling.  According to on-the-road driving tests by both Consumer Reports and auto information site Edmunds.com, underinflated tires reduce fuel economy, so proper inflation is key. But you should never over-inflate your tires. They'll get you slightly better fuel economy because there will be less tread touching the road, reducing friction. But that means less grip for braking and turning. The added risk of a crash isn't worth the extra mile a gallon you might gain.

The Most Scenic Routes in America: Summer Edition

Sometimes, you need to get away.  Work is exhausting, your favorite TV sitcoms have gone off the air, and it’s time to break the mold.  Imagine breathing in the cool breeze of an ocean, or the soothing heat of a morning sun while taking a trip down the countryside.  Road trips are a great way to embrace the open road to view what our beautiful country has to offer.  So, you have the keys, a bag of snacks, and a couple days to check out your surroundings, but where do you go?  In today’s blog, we’re discussing some great scenic places to visit while you travel. 

Overseas Highway – Florida Keys

A highway that spans 113 miles, composed of roads and bridges from the Florida mainland to the country’s most southern point, the Overseas Highway is a beautiful place to drive.  There’s blue ocean, ships, boats, fisherman and tourists at every turn.  As an added fact, the Florida East Coast Railway was converted into this awesome highway.

Finger Lakes Region – New York

The Finger Lakes are a chain of lakes in central New York State shaped like…well, uh…fingers with the lakes formed by glaciers.  The lake extends 75 miles from Syracuse to Rochester.  There’s farmland, quaint towns and hundreds of wineries.  An Autumn trip adds an accentuating foliage to a beautiful drive year around. 

Pacific Coast Highway – California

This is known as one of the most scenic views in the world.  Hugging cliffs, and coastlines line a 123 mile stretch in a blissful five hour dream of beauty and saltwater scents.  However, this is not for the faint at heart.  The PCH offers some hairpin turns, narrow shoulders and steep drop-offs so BE ALERT. Honestly, take some time to pull over in safe places to really enjoy the vista. 

San Juan Skyway – Colorado

This scenic 233-mile drive through San Juan National Forest, Grand Mesa, is known as the “road to the sky” because of its mountains, quaint towns and ancient Native American pueblo ruins.  The drive features steep cliffs, alpine forests, campgrounds and plenty of outdoor activities.