Ahh, you’ve got the windows down, the music up, and you’re enjoying your ride home from work when you notice a pretty orange little on your dashboard, and no it’s not just a decoration, it’s the dreaded Check Engine Light! And there goes all the peace you had, and mass amounts of stress rolls in, like first off why me?! And then you think rational, and then you think oh my gosh how much is this going to cost me?? Take a big breath, then release, IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY! There can actually be a lot of reason your Check Engine Light might come on and they won’t all break the banks!

Reasons:

1. You need to replace your Oxygen Sensor:

• Your oxygen sensor measures the amount of unburned oxygen in your vehicle’s exhaust system.
• If you don’t replace it a hand full of things could happen
  • Your engine will burn more fuel than what needs to be, resulting in you spending more on gas
  • You will lose fuel economy, and get fewer miles per gallon
  • Faulty sensor(s) can cause damage to your spark plugs and catalytic converter, costing you more money!

2. Your gas cap is loose, missing, or damaged:

• Your gas cap seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. It also prevents gasoline fumes from being released into the atmosphere while you aren’t driving your car.
• If you don’t get this fixed you’ll find yourself heading to the gas tank more often due to your gas evaporating!

3. You have a bad catalytic converter:

• This helps protect the amount of air entering the engine to determine how much fuel is needed to run your engine efficiently
• If you don’t replace it a hand full of things could happen
  • Your car will fail an emissions test
  • You will experience poor fuel economy and performance
  • Your car could run at a higher temperature causing it to overheat

4. Time to replace your Mass AirFlow Sensor:

• This measures the amount of air entering the engine to determine how much fuel is needed to run the engine
• If you don’t resolve this problem you could experience these things:
  • Faulty sensors can cause damage to spark plugs, O2 sensors or catalytic converter
  • You will also experience reduced performance and fuel economy

5. Your Vehicle Needs New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires:

• These plugs ignite the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your car. The wires deliver the spark from the ignition to the spark plug
• If you don’t resolve these issues you could damage your car for the following reasons:
  • Worn plugs and plug wires can cause a clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors
  • You will also experience poor performance and reduced fuel economy

There are several reasons why your Check Engine Light could be on, and they all vary in price. If you find that bright orange light is shining brightly on your dashboard you might want to get your car looked at. Once you’ve been told what the issue is, do your research and see if it might be something you could do yourself to save money, but if you can not make sure to service your car. Safety is the number one priority inside your car, make sure that the work is done correctly and by a professional, it will be worth it down the road!

It’s summertime and with hot temperatures comes high humidity, and with that comes some nasty thunderstorms. Although I totally love to watch thunderstorms, I hate driving in them and they can be very dangerous! Hydroplaning might sound awesome but is actually the complete opposite and by that I mean terrifying. So whether you’ve done it before and are wondering how to avoid it from happening again, or have never experienced it and never want to, you’ve come to the right place.

First off, for all of you who have no idea what hydroplaning is, it refers to the skidding or sliding of a car’s tires across a wet surface. Water pressure in the front of the wheel pushes water under the tire, and the tire is then separated from the road surface by a thin film of water and loses traction. The result is a loss of steering, braking, and power control.

So before you never drive in the rain again there are some things you can do to prevent hydroplaning from occurring

1. Keep your tires properly inflated
2. Rotate and replace tires when necessary
3. Slow down when roads are wet: the faster you drive, the harder it is for your tires to scatter the water
4. Stay away from puddles and standing water
5. Avoid driving in outer lanes where water tends to accumulate
6. Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you
7. Turn off cruise control
8. Drive in a lower gear
9. Avoid hard braking
10. Try not to make sharp or quick turns

Hydroplaning can be a scary thing to encounter, but don’t stress out, remain calm, and try to steer the car into the correct direction, and remember the tips above to try and avoid hydroplaning at all!

Summertime is finally here, and you ready to put some miles on your car with road trips planned, concerts to see, and summer night drives with friends. But you can’t live out your summertime adventures in a mess of a car, you want your car in tip-top shape for all your trips this summer! That means it’s time to detail your car, but don’t worry it won’t leave your wallet empty.

Why DIY? Everyone loves a little DIY and saving money, right? Well detailing your car’s interior can be really easy and can take it from frumpy to fabulous in just a few steps all while saving the bank!

1. Rid the interior of any dust: You’ll need a vacuum, foaming carpet cleaner, scrub brush, microfiber cloth, and q-tips. You should first use the microfiber cloth to dust off all surfaces of the interior. Next, you’ll want to vacuum the carpet in the car, and then remove them (if possible) to be washed and scrubbed clean. Finish off the carpets with another vacuuming.
2. Cleaning the inside of your windows: You’ll need glass cleaner, glass-specific microfiber cloth, and a plush microfiber cloth. Windows are easily overlooked when cleaning your car, and over time this results in a buildup of nasty chemical film. Luckily, it’s easy to remove! All you need to do is spray the windows 2 or 3 times and with the microfiber cloth making, liner strokes (not circular) rub the windows clean. When the windows are clean, use the plush microfiber cloth to remove any remaining streaks.
3. For seats and leather: When cleaning your seat, leather, and other soft surfaces, spay a generous amount of cleaner directly onto the surface. Use a soft brush, in a circular motion, gently rub the seats to loosen any dirt or debris. Then grab your microfiber cloth and wipe the surfaces clean.
4. Finally, the most forgotten part of your interior is your vents! If you don’t clean your vents you’ll get a build up of dust and debris that blow back in your face, and frankly, that’s gross. So, take your microfiber cloth and wipe down the vents to the best of your ability, then take your q-tips to help get into the nooks and crannies that you could get to with the cloth.
5. Finally, grab some air freshener, and spray directly on to the floor. Don’t overdo it, you don’t want to be choking the smell if you sprayed the whole can in your car.

We might be busy people, and sometimes finding time to give our cars the love it deserves fall short. But dedicating a little time to our cars can go a long way. And think about it, cars aren’t the cheapest, so why are you going to treat them like they are?  Give your car a little love, then stand back and admire your hard work!

Taking care of your vehicle is one of the most important things you can do to ensure that you’re riding in style for years to come. One great way of doing that is to care for your vehicle’s paint to the best of your ability. Check out our tips on caring for that paint job to prevent future damage and keep your car shining brightly wherever you go!

First, make sure that you’re washing your car properly. Whenever you wash your vehicle, make sure you’re using an automotive soap or shampoo in conjunction with a microfiber cloth or wash mitt. There are a lot of great YouTube videos out there about washing your car properly – take a look! Just make sure that you’re washing your vehicle regularly and not damaging the paint when you do it.

Waxing your vehicle is the next important step. The wax (or protectant spray) not only makes sure that your paint looks great after you’ve washed it, but it can protect from dust and dirt and damage and preserve your paint for longer than it would normally last without any kind of protection.

Try a clay bar! These can be bought at pretty much any auto parts store, or online, and are very effective in removing stuck-on or embedded contaminants from your paint and restoring the shine. Always lubricate the surface before using your clay bar, and follow the directions (or a video) to make sure you’re treating your paint well.

If you find that your vehicle is susceptible to rust, or you’ve had problems with rust on your past vehicles, consider getting your vehicle undercoated to make sure that the undercarriage stays strong and free of rust, regardless of the weather.

The final thing to do is to spot-check and spot-fix if needed. If you notice a scratch on your vehicle, take care of it with touch up paint and a polish to keep rust from developing. If the scratch is deep, bring it to us as soon as possible so that we can take care of it for you. Always keep a weather eye out!

We all know that one of the most essential services that we can provide for our vehicles is the oil change. Your shop sticks a little sticker on your windshield to remind you when you need it, your dealer might send you an email or little flyer in the mail to remind you that you’re just about at the point where you need a change, your owner’s manual has mileage recommendations… you know about how important the oil change is. Or do you? Keep reading to find out some of the littler-known facets of getting your oil changed.

Did you know that some vehicles don’t need to get their oil changed as regularly as you might think? We usually have this idea of 3,000 miles or six months between every change. However, there are some factors that go into determining that interval, such as the age of your car, the type of oil you use, how many miles are on your car, what conditions you usually drive in, and how hard you drive your car. Depending on these factors, you might not need to get your oil changed as often as you think. This is especially true if you drive a newer vehicle, and it also depends on the type of oil you use in your engine.

However, no matter how often you get your oil changed – whether it’s every 3,000 miles or every 10,000 miles – you still need to be checking your oil regularly. The oil in your engine is a great diagnostic tool with the ability to tell you if there’s something going wrong under the hood, as well as a cleaning solution that prevents the buildup of grime and other unpleasantness in the delicate workings of your vehicle’s engine.

Of course, the best source is your shop – we can point you in the right direction! – and they will help you know what the correct oil change interval is for your unique vehicle.

Blind spots are, for most people, an inevitability. You will pretty much never be able to see the absolute entirety of the road when you’re driving, and that’s fine! Of course, having the most visibility possible is what we all try for, and thankfully there are some great hacks for getting rid of the blind spots that are getting you down. The best part is that you can choose whether your blind spot solution is temporary or semi-permanent.

The more permanent solution is to purchase aftermarket stick-on convex mirrors that adhere to your wing mirrors. The best placement is in the outer corner, either upper or lower (or if you get bigger ones, just the outer side as opposed to the inner). Make sure your mirrors are clean and free of dust and dirt before you attach the mirrors. If you’re leasing your vehicle, it might not be a good idea to use this technique.

The other solution is to adjust your mirrors for a less permanent solution. It’s simple to do and gets rid of blind spots easily. Here is how to do it:

• Adjust your rearview mirror to give you a view directly to the rear. Make it so that it best covers your rear window view. Don’t tilt it to get side views – just straight back through your window.
• Lean your head until it almost touches your driver’s side window. Adjust your left side mirror so you can just barely see the side of your car – no more.
• Lean your head to the passenger side as far as you can comfortably while still sitting up and adjust the right mirror so you can barely see the right side of your car.

You shouldn’t be able to see the side of your car when your head is all the way upright!

This is a great solution for those of you who might not be ready to make the commitment to stick-on mirrors!

Finally, you can buy an aftermarket mirror that clips over your OEM rearview mirror and expands your field of view. These are available at many auto parts stores, and we can recommend some if you can’t decide!

Hello to all of my internet friends!! It’s late spring which, as we all know, is basically summer and that means it’s ROAD TRIP SEASON!!! Are you ready?? We’ve got so many plans for this summer – some High Peaks, the Great Escape, maybe Niagara Falls and hey, we might even skip up to Montreal – or Maine for some fresh lobstah!!

Whenever my family is traveling, we’re all about the tunes. The kids have their own music that they love and honestly, I am coming around to it. I’ve also brought them around to some of the classic songs that everyone loves… or at least everyone from my generation loves! This is a segment of our favorite family road trip playlist – I thought I’d share with you, just in case your family is like mine! Listen and enjoy, and remember to get out there into the wild yonder this summer!

Road Trip Playlist

• Shut Up And Dance – Walk The Moon
• All Right Now – Free
• Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
• Slow Ride – Foghat
• Roadhouse Blues – The Doors
• China Grove – The Doobie Brothers
• Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty
• I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash
• All Day And All Of The Night – The Kinks
• Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band
• Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen
• Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Shiny Happy People – R.E.M.
• Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys
• Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root
• Summer Of ‘69 – Bryan Adams
• Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
• Africa – Toto
• Purple Rain – Prince
• Take On Me – a-ha
• Beer For My Horses – Toby Keith and Willie Nelson
• Hot Blooded – Foreigner
• My Sharona – The Knack
• Bennie And The Jets – Elton John
• You Make My Dreams – Daryl Hall & John Oates
• Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes
• Down Under – Men At Work
• All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
• Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet

Just because the weather is warming up doesn’t mean it’s not still springtime. And you know what comes with springtime – mud. And lots of it. For a lot of folks, mud is a fun substance that you can drive through and have a lot of fun doing so. But those people have modified vehicles that have been built to handle the mud with no trouble. If you’re in your regular, everyday daily driver, you’re not going to be able to free yourself so easily once you’re stuck in a muddy mess. That’s why we have these tips for you on how to get your car out of the mud and back on the road easily and quickly!

A couple of the options you have at your disposal are nice, grippy tires, a tow strap or tow chain, or hiring a tow service. Tires are expensive, and your vehicle needs to be powerful enough to use them properly. Tow straps and chains mean that you need a reliable friend, with a truck, to come pull you out… and waiting on your friends can be tough and sometimes not even worth it. And the tow service? Well, that costs money as well, and you’ll still be waiting an age.

If you want to fix your own problem, try our favorite technique. Sure, it’s a little messy, but it works and it works fast. What is the solution, you ask? Using your floor mats.

To use this technique, you need your car mats (or old blankets, your trunk liner, or pieces of old carpet that you keep in your vehicle for this express purpose – hint hint) and a stuck car. Don’t try to get yourself out without help once you realize you’re stuck! You’ll just dig yourself in deeper.

Put your car into park, then take your mats and put just the very tip or edge under your stuck tire, with the rest of the mat in front of the tire. Get back behind the wheel and drive forward very slowly, onto the mats, until you’re out of the muck and mire.

Finally, to avoid a similar situation again, make sure that you’re consistently checking your tires. Make sure you have them filled to the proper pressure and that the treads are still in good shape… not bald or balding! If you have questions, come ask us any time!