You might well think that totally winterizing your vehicle is basically limited to keeping the antifreeze topped off and keeping the battery charged.

If AAA is to believed, and let’s face it, we’re talking about Triple A here so they probably ARE, then there’s a whole lot more that we’re all overlooking.

Here’s a partial list of things you should be doing to winterize your vehicles.

Check your tire pressure. Cold weather months can do strange things to tire pressure, so if you’re not already giving your tires a once-over, now would be a good time to start.

Check your windshield washer fluid levels. Failing to do this will either risk getting your windshield splattered with unremovable mud, salt and other winter effluvia or, worse, giving water a place to condense, freezing up the reservoir and leaving it unusable until it melts.

Install winter wiper blades. If you don’t already have a good pair of all-season blades, consider getting a set for winter driving.  You’ll be driving into a lot more stuff on your windshield, and not just snow, either–there’ll be ice, frost, and frozen road dirt kicked up by passing semis.

These are just three steps you can take to help ensure your car will get through cold winter driving and get you where you need to be.

Tags: aaa, tire pressure, triple a, Winter, Winter Driving, winterizing

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After Michelin comes Goodyear tires which for its part pushes for the tire care that should be practiced by motorists today. Being a key factor towards vehicle performance and safety, tires need the attention as much as possible to be assured of a great running care that likewise becomes a crucial area as far as driver and passenger safety is concerned.

Tire pressure is important. While many would prefer larger tire pressure gauges, be reminded that they can play a vital role in the force that tires have to deal with, especially if vehicular weight is uneven. If a tire cannot withstand the pressure, chances are it may explode and provide serious hazards such as accidents especially for cars that are running.

“Checking tires for proper inflation and tread condition is one of the most critical – and easiest – maintenance procedures for a consumer,” said Joey Viselli, Goodyear brand director. “It doesn’t take much time or sophisticated equipment. Drivers can check their tires by themselves, or any of our retail outlets would be happy to provide the service.”

Goodyear recommends that motorists should check tire inflation at least monthly or before a long trip. Tires should be inflated to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations printed on the vehicle door placard or in the owner’s manual, not the maximum limit stamped on a tire sidewall.

(Source) Press

Tags: Accidents, good year, goodyear, goodyear tires, long trip, maintenance procedures, maximum limit, michelin, motorists, passenger safety, placard, proper inflation, retail outlets, sophisticated equipment, tire care, tire inflation, tire pressure, tire sidewall, vehicle manufacturer, vehicle performance

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Canadian motorists get a shot in the arm as Canada’s House of Parliament will be giving its motoring consumers and small businesses relief by overwhelmingly passing its Right to Repair Act, C-273, in a vote of 247 to 18.

“Although Canada’s consumers and businesses must still wait for the legislation to go through several more phases before it becomes law, the House of Parliament chose to help consumers overcome the high costs of new car dealership repairs by allowing them to have a choice of where, how and by whom to have their vehicles repaired,” stated Ray Pohlman, president, The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE).

The reasons for the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act continue to remain and grow. Vehicles that are 1994 and newer are equipped with computers that control the repair and service information on most of the vehicles’ systems, including, but not limited to: air bags, brakes, ignition keys and systems, check engine light, tire pressure, oil changes, electronics and steering mechanisms

The only way for motorists to have these systems and their “entire” vehicle repaired and parts replaced is to return to the new car dealerships. This has created a safety hazard for those who need immediate repairs but may not be near the new car dealership or ANY new car dealerships, hurts low and fixed income motorists, hurts fuel efficiency, cleaner air and jobs.

(Source) Press

Tags: air bags, auto repair, brakes, canadian motorists, equality, fixed income, fuel efficiency, house of parliament, motor vehicle, new car dealership, new car dealerships, oil changes, pohlman, safety hazard, shot in the arm, small businesses, steering mechanisms, tire pressure

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Cars are a necessity but maintaining these vehicles normally carry another financial burden in the form of car insurance. But with GMAC, all of these may seem better and truth of the matter is, they have a program that can very well be beneficial to current motorists bucking the financial trends.

For people who have a short commute, work from home, use mass transit, carpool or choose to ride a bike or walk more for their health, the Low-Mileage Discount offers an opportunity to significantly reduce what they spend annually on auto insurance.

“People who drive fewer than 15,000 miles a year can opt in to the program and save up to 54 percent on their auto insurance simply by being an OnStar subscriber,” says Wade Bontrager, senior vice president of GMAC Insurance. “Using OnStar’s pre-existing Vehicle Diagnostics capability, with the customer’s permission, GMAC Insurance would receive a monthly odometer reading from the customer’s vehicle. If their total mileage for the year doesn’t surpass 15,000 miles, we then adjust their annual premium lower based on their abbreviated driving habits.”

As another way to help keep driving costs down while conserving energy, GMAC Insurance offers these five tips:

1. Maintain your vehicle. Keeping up with your vehicle’s maintenance can significantly reduce the cost of future repairs and vastly improve gas mileage. OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics monitors your vehicle’s key operating systems and will tell you exactly when you need to change your oil, eliminating unnecessary oil changes.
2. Keep your tires inflated. Pumping up your tires to the proper PSI is the easiest, most cost-efficient way to reduce gasoline use. OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics also runs monthly checks of your tire pressure.
3. Lighten your load. Every extra 100 pounds of weight you carry can strip away 1 to 2 percent of fuel efficiency. Take out those sand bags you might have added to the trunk for winter driving, remove the bike or ski rack if you aren’t using it, and unload any other unnecessary cargo. However, make sure to leave the essentials, such as your emergency safety kit.
4. Don’t idle. Picking the kids up from school? Waiting out front while someone runs into the store? If you are stopped for more than 30 seconds, shut the car off to avoid wasting gas.
5. Easy on the gas pedal. If you accelerate hard at green lights and when traffic lets up, you might want to think twice. Jerky, stop and start driving can hurt your gas mileage.

(Source) Press

Tags: car insurance, carpool, conserving energy, financial burden, financial trends, fuel efficiency, gas mileage, gmac insurance, odometer, odometer reading, sand bags, ski rack, tire pressure, vehicle diagnostics

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