Nov 5, 2021 | Car Accidents, Car maintenance
Routine vehicle maintenance is so important for keeping your car as safe as possible on the road. You might buy the safest vehicle on the market, but if it breaks down you still could get into a dangerous situation. Doing maintenance on your vehicle periodically throughout the year can save you money. Waiting until you notice a problem can lead to much bigger issues to fix. Check your tire pressure and tread periodically. In addition, do periodic checks on your battery as well to prevent drain. Your engine needs some attention now and then. And of course, it’s important to take care of the exterior of your car as well. Hopefully, by doing maintenance throughout the year you can prevent expensive fixes or breakdowns.
Routine Vehicle Maintenance for Road Safety: Keep Your Car in Great Shape
Tire Maintenance
Routine vehicle maintenance should include taking care of your tires. Tire blowouts can be incredibly dangerous, so the best way to prevent them is to start with a good-quality tire. Change them every 25,000-50,000 miles or so and also have them rotated. In addition, take a glance at them each time before you drive. You want to see if they look like the tread is getting worn down or if they seem low on pressure. Driving tires with bare thread or low/high pressure can be riskier.
Battery Maintenance
Another important part of routine vehicle maintenance is taking care of your battery. The recommendation is that you replace your battery every four years or so. A car care center can also check your battery and see if it’s still in good condition and has plenty of life left. If you plan to be gone for a long time, make sure you start your car periodically. Leaving it for too long without starting can lead to battery drain and engine problems.
Engine Maintenance
Engine care is another aspect of routine vehicle maintenance. Your engine has to work especially hard in really hot or cold climates so make sure to check it a few times a year. It’s best to change your oil every 5,000-7,500 miles or so. You should also check your fluid levels and check for leaks. If you notice any puddles in your driveway or your check engine light comes on, take your car in for a check. A car care center can also check your belts and various other aspects of your engine.
Exterior Maintenance
Finally, routine vehicle maintenance wouldn’t be complete without taking care of the exterior of your car as well. Your car can take a beating in severe weather, so if the possible park it somewhere covered. If you don’t have a garage, try to park in the shade whenever possible. In addition, wash your car’s exterior frequently. The longer dirt and grime can build up on your exterior, the more it can hurt your paint. In addition, you can use soap on your car that has built-in UV protection from the sun’s damaging rays.
Routine vehicle maintenance is important to keep your car running in tip-top shape. This will keep you safer on the road. It will also prevent small preventable problems from turning into massively expensive ones later. Check your car before and after a long road trip, and a few times a year. You should check out your tires and make sure the pressure and tread are looking okay each time you drive. In addition, protect your car’s battery and engine by getting them checked over at a car care center periodically. And finally, try to protect your car’s exterior by parking it in covered areas and keeping it clean. Keeping your car in great shape will save you money in the long run by allowing you to catch small issues before they turn into bigger ones.
Jul 11, 2020 | Car Accidents, Car maintenance
Your car battery is one of the most important parts of your car and regular maintenance. That’s why it’s important to take care of your battery terminals properly. Cleaning them right will ensure your battery lasts longer and keeps working the way it should…
Battery Terminals: Keep Them Clean
Checking the terminals
The first step of maintaining your battery terminals to give them a quick check. The terminals should be on top of the battery itself. Usually, there will be a plastic or rubber cover on top of them which helps to protect the clamps from the outside elements.
What you may see is a buildup of a white, powder-like substance. This residue builds up over time and is what causes so many battery-related issues. As an extra precaution, put on some work gloves and safety glasses to prevent that residue from contacting your skin and eyes.
Disconnect and clean
To remove this residue off your battery terminals, you’ll want to disconnect the battery itself. Loosen the negative clamp first, and then the positive one next. You might need to use a pair of pliers if there’s a lot of built-up corrosion. Avoid touching any metal while doing this, or else you risk shorting out the battery.
Once you’ve disconnected the battery, then you can clean it. Most people like to use an equal mixture of two tablespoons of baking soda and water and use a toothbrush and wire brush to scrub off the residue. You can also use a can of soda which’ll do the job just as well!
Rinse and reconnect
Now that your battery terminals are clean, it’s time to clean off any remaining cleaning paste or soda. All you need is a spray bottle of water and a clean rag. Just spray the terminals and use the rag to rinse and remove anything that’s left on the terminals.
When you’re reconnecting the battery, this time start with the positive clamp, then do the negative clamp. Be sure that the clamps are properly secured and use a wrench if needed. From there, just re-secure the covers and your battery will be good to go.
Jul 4, 2020 | Accident prevention, Car Accidents, Uncategorized
Whether you’re in the kitchen or behind the wheel, what you smell can tell you a lot about a situation. When it comes to car smells in particular, there are a few in particular that you need to watch out for. From sweet to sickly and everything in between, our guide is here to help you be prepared in case something strange wafts up your nose when you’re behind the wheel. Furthermore, consider performing routine maintenance to combat these issues before they ever begin.
Car Smells: What to Watch For
Sweet syrup
The smell of sweet syrup might seem like one of the more pleasant car smells. However, it actually can indicate a major issue. In particular, this sort of smell could indicate a possible problem with your engine’s cooling system.
This sweet smell tends to come from ethylene glycol, which is a crucial component in your engine’s coolant. When you smell this, it may be because your radiator or a hose has sprung a leak. This is something you’ll want to get fixed as soon as you can, and thankfully, it usually isn’t too complicated. You may just need to get a new hose or heater core, and then you’ll be good to go.
Burning smells
Other car smells to watch for are any burning ones. A constant burning rubber smell probably doesn’t have anything to do with your tires. Rather, it could be due to a shifting drive belt, which may be rubbing up against another engine component. This can be seen just by looking into the engine, just make sure you give it time to cool down first!
A burning carpet smell, on the other hand, may be coming from your brakes. Now, if you’ve been using the brakes a lot, this isn’t something to worry about. However, if it lingers, then you may have a problem with your brake pads and should inspect them to see if they need replacing.
Rancid smells
Rancid car smells are definitely not pleasant. Not only that, but they could indicate some serious issues with your car. For instance, old locker room-like scents could be due to mildew forming in your car’s air filter. Running the fan on high for a few minutes can fix the problem.
A rotten egg-like smell coming from underneath your car might be from a failed catalytic converter. It could be that all you need is to replace your fuel filter. More-serious issues may need you to go even further and have the entire converter itself replaced.
Aug 29, 2019 | Car Accidents, Traffic Ticket
Sometimes, obtaining a lawyer for a traffic ticket means you don’t have to appear in court. Sometimes, even with a lawyer, you do have to appear. Courtroom impressions can go a long way to help or hinder your case. However, there are steps you can take to improve your chances in front of a judge.
Courtroom Impressions: What You Should (& Shouldn’t) Do
What You Should Do:
Be Respectful
Being respectful is a simple way to give good first courtroom impressions. Before it is your turn, you should pay attention to other cases. It’s not a good sign if the judge is bothered by your behavior before it’s your turn. Remain quiet and patient while waiting for your case to be heard.
Turn Off Your Phone
Some courthouses do not even allow phones past security. For those that do, make sure your phone is off before entering the courtroom. You can ensure good courtroom impressions by not distracting the judge or others with a ringing cellphone during court proceedings.
Dress to Impress
For some it may be obvious to wear proper clothes to court. However, some might not think about it. In addition to the “look good, feel good” mantra that many abide by, dressing in a business casual manner shows you care about the courtroom impressions you make.
What You Shouldn’t Do:
Argue with an Officer
If you have an issue with the behavior of the officer who gave the ticket, do not go in looking for an argument. Arguing can be disrespectful to the officer, the judge, and the court in general. In addition to being respectful, leave the arguing to another day. Courtroom impressions make all the difference when hoping for a reduction.
Ask to Leave
When going to court, you should be prepared to be there for a while. Asking how long it will take or when you can leave will give the judge and other bad courtroom impressions of you. This will make it harder for a dismissal or lessened ticket.
Chew Gum
Sounds simple, but chewing gum can be a giant distraction in the courtroom. For some it might be a nervous habit. Leave the gum out of it and earn the positive courtroom impressions you deserve.
Aug 11, 2019 | Accident prevention, Car Accidents
If there’s one thing any driver hates, it’s car problems. Car issues can lead to potential breakdowns, and some seriously costly repairs. However, performing some good car maintenance can really help keep your car in good shape. Doing so will help save you headaches and cost in the future…
Car Maintenance: Keep Your Car Going
Check your tires
It’s very easy to take your tires for granted. However, it turns out that 738 accident-related deaths were caused by poor tires in 2017 alone. Therefore, it’s important not to neglect your tires. Instead, you want to regularly check them for issues as part of your car maintenance, both the obvious and the harder-to-spot kinds.
First, check for anything like screws, nails, or tears which weaken your tires and lead to leaks. It also helps to check your tire pressure once a month, and get it up to its proper level if needed. Tire rotations also help improve your tread life, and should be done every 6,000-8,000 miles.
Inspect the oil & other fluids
Drivers also tend to gloss over their car’s fluids, but they’re a key part of proper car maintenance. Your oil, for instance, is crucial for keeping your engine running right. Therefore, it helps to check it every month or so to see if it’s time for a change.
However, your car has other fluids besides oil. Remember, you have power-steering, automatic transmission, wiper, and break fluids as well. Try to give these fluids a look each time you check your oil.
Other components
There’s a lot of different components that go into your car that you’d want to look over as part of your car maintenance. For instance, your lights are very important for safely driving, so check them out to see if they still work and aren’t burnt-out or cracked. Don’t forget about checking your windshield wipers too.
Of course, you’ll want to check the internal core parts too. While you don’t have to do anything crazy, simply keeping your battery free of corrosion and cleaning your radiator can go a long way. For those harder-to-reach areas, it helps to bring your car to an auto shop and have them check things out for you.
Apr 2, 2019 | Accident prevention, Car Accidents
When it comes to sharing the road with other drivers, things can get ugly pretty fast. Many drivers get in our way, or make unsafe moves. In turn, those careless drivers put our lives in jeopardy. When that happens, it may spark an angry reaction in us. However, being angry behind the wheel doesn’t make for a safe combination. So, it’s important to find ways for avoiding road rage.
Avoiding Road Rage: Safe Driving Techniques
Move Over For Tailgaters
One of the best ways for avoiding road rage is to pull over for tailgaters. Nothing can be quite as frustrating as someone riding too closely for no reason. You may feel the need to speed up or give the car a quick break check. However, rather than becoming upset at a tailgater, it’s best to just move over. By driving so closely, they are not only being rude but unsafe. So, it’s best to avoid the frustration and let them pass.
Allow Time for Delays
Another way for avoiding road rage is to also avoid being in a rush. When you’re in a hurry, getting behind a slow driver can be really frustrating. So, make sure you plan ahead and give yourself enough time to get where you’re going. If you have extra time to spare, driving behind a slow poke won’t seem be quite as frustrating.
Give an I’m Sorry Gesture
If you make a bad move or cut someone off, just admit to your wrong. Give a wave or nod to try to diffuse the situation. By doing so, you can lower your temper and work on avoiding road rage. In addition, you can also smooth things over with the other driver to prevent them from experiencing road rage.
Listen to Music
When you’ve just experienced a frustrating situation on the road, it can help to turn on your favorite music. For instance, you may want to listen to something calming or something upbeat. Whatever your song choice, music can help put you in a better mood. By doing this, it can keep you calm and help in avoiding road rage.
In short, getting angry behind the wheel can affect your driving. Out of anger, you may speed or make other dangerous moves which could cost you a traffic ticket. So, it’s important to use these tips for avoiding road rage.
