Amy’s Garage

The Car Care Council has launched a digital version of its popular Car Care Guide. I think it’s a ‘Must Have’ for all drivers. Great information!

The Car Care Guide uses easy-to-understand everyday language, instead of technical automotive jargon, and fits easily in a glove box. The guide covers the most common preventive maintenance occasions and procedures that need to be performed to keep cars safe, dependable and efficient. It also includes descriptions of 12 major vehicle systems and parts, and a list of questions to ask when maintenance or repair procedures are being done on a car. A Car Care Checklist reminds motorists what vehicle systems need to be maintained and when service or repair should be performed.

We have hard copies of the booklet here at Auto Craftsmen that you can come in and pick up, or you can go online to www.carcare.org/car-care-guide and order a hard copy to be sent to your door.

The Check Engine Light

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is an important part of your car’s computer system which controls and monitors a vehicle’s performance, regulating such variables as engine speed, fuel mixture, and ignition timing.

• If the light is blinking pull over ASAP, turn off the vehicle and call for a tow truck. If you keep driving you could cause catastrophic damage to the engine.

If the light is steady, but the vehicle is sputtering, stuttering, stalling or having trouble starting, take it to a professional auto technician ASAP for diagnosis and repair.

• If the vehicle is running just fine the problem is not an emergency, but you should schedule an appointment as soon as possible. It could be that the gas cap is loose, there is an exhaust leak, vehicle needs a tune-up, or a sensor needs replacing.

• If you totally ignore the check engine light you could eventually end up damaging expensive components. It also can be a sign that your car is getting poor fuel economy and emitting higher levels of pollutants.

Vermont = Snow and Icy Road Conditions = Salt = Rust on your Car.

The salt they put on our roads to keep us safe will corrode the body, brake and fuel lines, gas tank and other rust-sensitive components of your vehicle. You can loose years of driving because of RUST!

The experts say you need to get that salt off your vehicle within 10-days or when the temperature gets above 40-degrees.

However, don’t wash your car when it’s too cold. The water can freeze to the car. Wait until it warms up to at least 15 to 20 degrees. Open and close the doors, trunk, windows and other parts of the car with locks several times before parking it to prevent locks from freezing.

Rust on our cars is the curse of Vermont. Take the time to wash the body of your car, plus the entire undercarriage along with the tires and wheels. It will help you get more miles and years out of your vehicle!

Please drive safely!

Amy Mattinat
owner of Auto Craftsmen
www.autocraftsmen.com
223-2253

Cell phones are not only for phone calls anymore. They include cameras, music, games. They connect us to facebook, our email, and the internet. Cell phones are a truly remarkable technology that conveniently connects us to the whole world, yet they are small enough to fit inside a pocket or a handbag.

Yet there is a lot of anti cell phone rhetoric in the news these days. All across the country there are new laws popping up to ban cell phone usage while driving a car.

What about you: Do you drive your car while talking on the phone? Would you admit to texting while driving?

You may be wondering why everyone is making such a big deal about talking on your cell phone while driving. Most folks drink coffee, eat sandwiches, change the radio station, and do a variety of other motions while driving and no one is talking about outlawing that.

The call to arms is the result of the increase in traffic accidents due to using cell phones while driving.

The statistics are in:

• According to AAA: 46% of teens admit to texting while driving.
• Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year
• There were 10 million cell phones in the U.S. in 2005, and according to the Cellular Telecommunication & Internet Association that number has swelled to 236 million. This is a very large number of folks potentially driving while distracted by their cell phones.
• The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers account for almost 80% off all crashes.
• Compare that 80% to this statistic for perspective: 33% of accidents nationally are caused by drunk drivers.

If you are caught drinking alcohol and driving or having a driver age 21 or older with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) that registers over .08 percent / or .02 BAC for drivers under 21, you can be prosecute for DUI (driving under the influence). This is because drinking and driving impairs your ability to safely operate a vehicle and puts other drivers at risk.

Do we dare conclude out loud that accidents caused by talking or texting with a cell phone while driving are just as serious as accidents caused by drinking and driving because they put others at risk? If we were to admit this, then we need to hand our cell phones to a designated talker and keep our focus on the road.

If you are caught driving without your seatbelt fastened you are breaking the law. If you drive without your seatbelt on you are not putting anyone else at risk, it is one of those laws that protects you from yourself. Yet I would wager that most of you wear your seatbelt while driving your car.

For parents that want to restrict cell phone usage in cars for their young drivers, you can go to www.getizup.com. There is an application you can download for $5 a month or $50 per year that blocks and holds all the text messages, calls and emails while allowing access to 911 and a list of authorized phone numbers.

Right now it’s a personal decision whether to DWT or not. Since you are sharing the road with others, I hope you will turn your phone off or at least find a safe place to pull over before responding to your cell phone when it rings, beeps or plays a silly song.

It is VERY important to properly store your tires, summer tires during the winter / and your winter tires during the summer.

If you don’t, you could potentially permanently damage the tire

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To properly store your tires:

* Put each tire in it’s own storage bag. {At Auto Craftsmen we provide you with storage bags.}

* The perfect environment for your tires would be a clean, cool, dry, dark and well ventilated space, like a garage, basement or a waterproof shed. If storing your tires in a heated room make sure the tires are shielded from the heat source.

* If storing in the basement or garage, don’t put the tires directly on the cement floor. Put them on a wooden pallet or shelf.

* Because tires are highly engineered products composed of a variety of materials, they must be protected from heat, light, moisture, ozone and deformation during storage.

* Solvents, fuels, lubricants, and chemicals should not come into contact with tires.

*The best way to store tires in on their sides in a tire rack. But realistically, most folks are not going to invest in one. Most people will stack them. If you do this,  then do not stack more than four high and never Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd rip put anything on the stack of tires.

This tip is for tires NOT on rims. If the tires are on the rims, then you DO want to stack them, and not have them on their sides in a rack.

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If storing tires outside

* Stack the tires on a pallet so they are off the ground

* Put close to building for added protection

* In the winter – keep the snow off your tire pile. In the summer – don’t let your tires get wet.

* Put in tire bags and tape shut – then cover the stack with a waterproof / colored tarp (you want to avoid sunlight at all costs).

Where do you store your extra tires?

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The lowly windshield wiper is easily forgotten and taken for granted until you really need it.

If it’s worn out and can’t keep up with the rain, sleet and snow, then it gets growled and cursed at when really it’s your own fault because you didn’t think about it beforehand.  

Seriously folks, worn wiper blades are downright dangerous. Your wiper blades are attacked daily by dust, bug juice, road grime, oil, sunlight, freezing temperatures and airborne contaminants. All this weakens and deteriorates the rubber blades.

Be pro=active. Change your wipers every spring and fall. That way you will have fabulous wipers for the spring rains and be prepared for winters - slush, mush and snow.

 Winter Weather Wiper Tip: Never turn on the wipers to try and clear ice and snow after your car has been sitting. This will not only rip the rubber blade, but can cause damage to the wiper linkage, and the wiper motor = big bucks to replace! 

If the wiper is frozen to the windshield, don’t go beating up your wipers with your plastic ice scraper. Slow Down, Be Patient!  Turn on the car and turn the defroster on high to start thawing the ice. Once you see some thawing action, then you can gently move the wiper arms up & away from the windshield. Now it’s safe to scrape off the ice and clear away the snow. Don’t forget to put the wiper arms back down so the wiper is back on the windshield before you drive away.

They make special wiper blades for winter. They have a protective rubber covering the blade that minimizes the chances of the wiper arm and blade freezing.

I find that most winter wipers are so heavy that their contact with the windshield is compromised when cruising at highway speeds. If you have that problem there are plastic weights you can put on your winter blades to eliminate this problem.  I just started stocking  ‘Storm Guard Wiper Blades’ at my shop Auto Craftsmen because they do a great job with clearing snow and ice, and are not heavy.

Don’t forget to keep an eye on the washer fluid. Have a look /see everytime you fill up with gas.  You don’t want to ever run out of washer fluid! AND remember straight water does not have anti-freeze properties and will make it impossible to see if you spray it on a cold winter day.

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When I woke up to snow falling last week there was no more denying that winter was going to be here way sooner then later. The time is here to dig out sweaters, coats, boots, hats, gloves and to get the car all ready for the next six months of cold, sleet, snow and slippery roads.

You want to be sure your car can transport you and your family safely in any weather conditions winter throws your way. Don’t procrastinate … be proactive!

Here are 6 steps you can take to get you and your car ready for winter driving.

1. Clean your vehicle inside and out! Wash and wax the outside
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   . This preventative measure will protect the paint from the salt and abuse of winter and also make the snow and ice brush off easier.         Do yourself a big favor and clean the inside of your car before it gets frigid cold out. Remove the debris that has collected over the summer. Vacuum the seats and floor, dust the dash, wash the windows and clean the upholstery.  Because your windows will be closed for over 4-5 months, it’s a great idea to check out the cabin air filter and change it if it’s dirty. It’s also a good idea to get yourself some water-resistant rubber mats before the slush and mush ruin your carpeted mats.

2. Make sure you have superb visibility! Make sure the washer fluid is good to -20 degrees (and NEVER use just water – it will freeze all over your windshield and you won’t be able to see anything!). If you can’t remember the last time you changed the wiper blades, now is a good time to do it. They only last about six months, so I like to change them in the fall, and again in the spring.
3. Make sure your heating system is functioning properly. Trust me, you do not want to be driving a car this winter without blasting heat and a working rear defroster.
4. Tires!!! Need I remind you that The Tire is THE ONLY Part of your Auto that Touches The Ground?

   Seriously, the cheapest winter tires are better then good all-season tires. Braking, acceleration and handling are all dependent on the tires when driving. Give yourself a huge advantage and make sure you have good tires.   

5. What about the battery?

   The battery gives little notice before it leaves you stranded. Very cold temperatures can reduce your vehicle’s battery power by up to 50%. If your batter is older than three years, make sure you get it tested to see how much life is left in it. Have your technician also check the battery posts and connections to make sure they are free of corrosion.

6. Get the antifreeze mixture right! Anitfreeze is very important to your car. It cools the engine and protects it from freezing in the cold weather. It also is key in providing heat to your fingers and toes while driving your car. The ideal mixture of antifreeze (coolant) and water for the cooling system of your vehicle is 50 / 50. You also want to be sure you have antifreeze that works in frigid temperatures.

Be prepared for the next six months by winterizing your car. This will help you avoid the aggravation of breaking down on a snowy, frigid day and save you money in the long run.

OK, I haven’t posted in over 5 months.

I could give you multiple excuses, but the bottom line is that now I’m back.

ONLY, my blogs platform: WordPress has upgraded, and I lost all my menu items on the right. So, now I’ll have to call my IT guys on Monday and have them fix this, which will cost me $. OUCH!

I’m going to try and post at least 1x per week. {OMG, now I’ve done it -Once it is written down it becomes an official goal that gets “On The List of Things To Do”, that I start out my day looking over.

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1st on the list is to get this blog operational again, and then get posting.

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It’s nice to be back!

Amy

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I had to fly from Vermont to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania last month. There were no direct flights so I had to go east to NYC to be able to go west to the Pitt. The planes were small and a bit noisy, but I just love the miracle of traveling up in the air, that I don’t really care how small or large a plane is. I am just in awe of sitting inside a room up in the sky.

It was wicked windy out and the small propeller plane shook all over the place. It settled down for a moment coming into NYC so I snapped this  picture of some of the sky scrapers that cover that island city.

I mean Seriously NYC, if global warming is for real and the water level of the oceans rise… you are so screwed.

Anyways, I never got around to making a reservation for my rental car, and decided to see how bad it would be to walk up to a counter and request a car.

All I can say is OUCH!

After being quoted $75.00 a day x 6 days + taxes and other fees, I about fell over.

I decided to put on my blogger hat and ask enough questions to get a good story and enough information to make my procrastination less painful. The young fellow (another unsung hero in my book!) who waited on my was so polite and very helpful.

I already knew that Airport Rental Counters are the most expensive place to rent a car, but have had great luck calling the airport counter directly to make a deal that I assumed that I could wheel and deal at the counter. I totally assumed wrong!

I explained that I had an automotive blog and wrote for www.askpatty.com “The Premier Automotive Site For Women”. How he should give me a great deal so I would write him a fabulous review. I tried to get him to go online to check out my blog and Ask Patty, but it was against company polity.

We concurred I could have set up my laptop and gotten a better deal online, waited 10 min., come back to the counter with a reservation and a savings of about $20.00 per day. My young man decided to save me this trouble and just gave me the discounted price.

He claimed he could not do better because Enterprise pays their employees per hour and they have a set amount they can discount of which he gave me the best deal he could.

I could have gone over to National or Alamo to see if I could get a better deal because their employees are paid a base salary and then a commission on sales. But they tend to be a harder sale on the insurance and extras, plus I felt like I got a good deal and appreciated how much time my young man gave me. He got an A+ in Customer Service!

I ended up renting a Ford Focus. I only had to drive an hour and was not going to be using the car much, so the attractive price of renting a little Focus sold me.

The truck size was really large and the front and back seats were very comfortable.

I loved it that I could plug in my iPod and listen to an Amy Radio show without any commercials.

Plus, I had great fun playing with the control toggles on the steering wheel!

I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the little Focus was.

• If you are in the market for a New Car, $15,000 would buy you a brand new Ford Focus.
• Fuel Mileage is 24 mpg city / 35 mpg highway
• To fill a tank full of gas it cost approx. $23.00 for 13.5 gallons of gas, which would take you approx. 340 miles down the road.

I’m still a Honda Girl, but I would rent a Ford Focus from Enterprise Rental Cars again. How about you? ??????? ????