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With the rain picking up as we transition into the depths of spring, you’re definitely at more risk of hydroplaning and getting into an accident because of the water that can build up on the road. We do not like this, because we know that you love your vehicle and don’t want anything to happen to it, so we’ve got some tips for staying safe on the road, no matter how wet it might be. Just remember to stay calm, breathe through it, and maybe get yourself a taco or some ice cream as a “good job on driving” present to yourself. When you start to hydroplane, the most important thing you can do is not panic. Don’t brake or accelerate quickly; because hydroplaning is a loss of traction to your front tires, braking will slow your front tires but lock your rear tires, causing you to spin out. Accelerating suddenly can pull your vehicle straight forward, which is dangerous if your vehicle has spun a little and is not pointed straight down the road. It’s important to not use your cruise control when you are driving in the rain because this can worsen the effects of hydroplaning. The vehicle will register the buildup of water under your tires as a slowing-down and ask for more power from your engine. This will make your car shift to a lower gear (if you’re in an automatic transmission vehicle) and build up more water underneath your tires. Avoiding hydroplaning is simple: drive slowly in the rain (slow down by about a third of your usual speed) and make sure that your tires have enough tread. A good test to make sure your tread is good is to use a penny. Place the penny into your tire tread with Lincoln’s head facing the direct center of your wheel. If you can see the top of his head, then it’s time to get new tires. The closer you are to being able to see the top of his head, the closer you are to needing new tires. Simple! Springtime comes with increased rainfall, and we’re hopeful that you’ll drive safely and avoid hydroplaning through safe driving. Do you have questions? Give us a call! Find A Great Deal On A New Nissan!

When you’re driving down the road in the spring, how many potholes do you think you encounter on your way from Point A to Point B? They’re definitely not an uncommon occurrence, and they’re more dangerous than you might think. But where do they come from, and how can you avoid them? Better yet, how can you make them go away? Keep reading to find out! First of all, the way potholes are formed is through water seeping into cracks in the pavement, freezing in the winter (i.e. why potholes are worse in the winter and spring) and expanding due to the power of chemistry or physics or whatever science it is that says that water expands when it freezes, and then that expansion weakening the pavement and causing holes to form under the repeated stress of thousand-pound vehicles driving over the weak spots daily. But how do you avoid a pothole? Simple, don’t drive over one! Just kidding. I mean, if that was your strategy then I’d be all for it, but of course, there are sometimes we have to use our judgment and sometimes when we can’t just drive past the potholes. In order to avoid a bad scrape, avoid puddles on the road. Unless you can see with your eyes from a moving vehicle that the water is just resting in a thin layer on the surface of the road (most likely when it’s just begun to rain), try to drive around the puddle. Water is very effective at hiding the true breadth and depth of a pothole and you could be in for a very nasty surprise. If hitting the pothole is unavoidable, well, we’re all praying for you. Other than our thoughts and prayers, the thing that can actually help you in this dangerous situation is slowing down (not a sudden slam-on-the-brakes stop, a rapid yet somewhat gradual stop) and going over the pothole slower than you would have otherwise. If you really feel that it was a deep and disastrous encounter, then you might be well served by pulling over immediately afterward and making sure that your tires are all good and your vehicle is not broken or cracked anywhere. If after this encounter your steering wheel wants to go one direction or another and you have to actively counteract that as you drive, then your alignment probably got messed up. We can fix that! The final step is to be proactive - if you come across a terrible pothole, call your local Department of Transportation or Department of Public Works and report the pothole. Never assume someone else has already done it. The more calls, the more likely it is that the problem will be fixed. Don’t succumb to the bystander effect! Need Service? We Got You.

If you are anything like me, you have a little trouble driving once the sun has gone down. I know, it’s hard - especially when you used to be able to drive after dark and now just can’t see as well as you used to be able to. I get it! But hey, there are always tips for how you can drive better after dark even if your night vision is kinda eh, and of course, you always have the option to not drive after dark (which is getting harder as winter approaches). So, from one blind bat to another, here are my tips for driving after dark when you have literally no other choice! First, make sure your headlights are in good working order. Clean them off, maybe even recondition them if you need to. If you think the bulbs are a little dim, or if you still have old yellow halogens, ask your dealer if you can upgrade them safely to LEDs or at least brighter halogens. That’ll make it a lot easier to see the road at night! Second, if you encounter another vehicle on a two-lane road coming towards you and you don’t want to be blinded by their headlights, avert your eyes and focus on the white line on the side of the road as they pass. You’ll stay in your lane and you can use your peripheral vision without getting spots in your vision in the middle of your line of sight. Super helpful! Plan your trips to avoid driving after dark. If you are going somewhere, make sure that you leave with enough time to get home before it gets dark. If you can’t, see if you can carpool with someone or if a friend or family member can give you a ride. It makes all the difference when it comes to safety and peace of mind. Get Those Headlights Tuned Up For Less!

Even though summer is over, construction is still happening whether we like it or not. And just like every out-of-the-ordinary driving situation, there are different rules for conduct when it comes to driving through a work zone. Check out our tips for driving around construction safely below! Pay attention to the road. Don’t be distracted by things on the road or in your car, such as music or passengers. Make sure that all of your attention is on the road and the signs, as well as any traffic pattern changes or sudden stops in front of you. If you see a worker with a flag, follow their instructions. Make sure your headlights are on while you’re driving, no matter if it’s day or night. Watch the other cars on the road with you - other drivers can be unpredictable, so you should be prepared for anything to happen. Have patience, not only with yourself but with other drivers and the workers on the road. You need to get to where you’re going, sure, but it’s better to be a little late and safe than never get there at all. Merge and change lanes when and where you should. Don’t wait until the last minute - this can be dangerous and puts you at a high risk of getting into a collision. Don’t tailgate other cars. Work zones should also be called “sudden stop” zones, because people are definitely more liberal with the brakes than they would be elsewhere. Watch for speed limit signs and obey them. The speed limit can change several times, and if you get caught speeding through a work zone, the fines can be steep. New Specials To Take You Through Any Zone

Aggressive driving is one of the most dangerous things that happens on the road. Whether or not you’re guilty of it is irrelevant - no matter where it’s coming from, it’s putting you in danger. To make sure that you’re not guilty of driving aggressively, here are some tips for driving safely and tamping down the road rage that night come from traffic, other drivers, or even just your own mood. Move over if someone is tailgating you. This applies to you as well - don’t tailgate! If someone else is tailgating you, just make sure that you move aside if you can so that the person who is tailgating you can move ahead of you and no longer be your problem. Use an “I’m sorry” gesture (e.g. wave) to attempt to defuse the situation. If you don’t have to engage with aggressive drivers, don’t! But if you feel like you need to, you should make a calm gesture that communicates apology, like a wave. Never do a gesture like “flipping the bird” or an angry gesture. Plan ahead; allow time for delays during your journey. Traffic happens. You can rarely avoid it. Being late is a big factor in road rage and aggressive driving, so make sure that you don’t have to worry about that. Consider whether you’ve done something to annoy the other driver and adjust your driving accordingly. Are you driving well? Are you following the rules of the road? If you’re driving inappropriately or without thinking about other drivers, think about why you are doing this and try to fix it if you can. Listen to music you enjoy, or music that’s calming, like classical music. However, you should never sacrifice attentiveness to the road for attentiveness to your music. If listening to music means that you’ll be paying more attention to your phone than the road, then drive in silence. It’ll be worth it when you get to your destination safely. Use your horn sparingly, or never at all. This is super irritating if you’re already angry, so only use your horn gently if you feel like someone else isn’t paying attention or could use a wake-up. Avoid eye contact with angry drivers and give them plenty of room. Leave well enough alone, and let angry drivers get past you so they are no longer your problem! We hope these tips have helped you - aggressive driving is a problem and if you can help that problem go away, we salute you! New Cars - Calming? Maybe!

Having your brakes fail while you're driving is a really scary thing. And if this hasn't happened to you before, you'll probably panic if it does. That's why we're here to help you learn what to do in this scenario and be prepared for whatever comes - this time, specifically, your brakes failing. Remember that no matter what you should stay calm and take deep breaths so that you can think clearly and not panic. It's easy to fall into panic and anxiety when things like this happen, but just breathe. If you notice that your brakes are failing while you are driving, take a deep breath and try them again. Don't stomp on the pedal, just test it out. It's very likely that your car has a dual braking system that controls both the front and rear independently, so you could have an Option B at your disposal. You might still be able to stop, even if you don't have as much stopping power as before, so apply strong and consistent pressure to the brakes to see if you can slow your car down at all. If this doesn't work, try using the emergency brake by applying it very slowly. It'll take longer to do this, but it might work. Otherwise, just take your foot off the gas. If you're driving stick, downshift the car until it's slowed down. Automatic transmission cars just require you taking your foot off the gas. As you slow down, get out of the way of traffic. Work your way to the side of the road, but don't put on your hazards yet. If you are not in the far right lane, you'll need your turn signals to let other vehicles know where you're going. Even though you are having an emergency, you still need to keep in mind other drivers and obey the rules of the road. Once you're fully stopped on the side of the road, turn your hazards on, set out any other emergency signaling items (like reflective triangles or flares, especially at night) and call for help. You should have your vehicle taken to a shop or to your dealer for them to inspect and fix your brakes. It is SUPER dangerous to drive without properly working brakes. Even if it seems like your brakes are working okay again without having them checked, your car is still probably not safe to drive until a professional evaluates what's going on with your brakes. Loughead Nissan Will Never Stop Helping You

Ever get caught on the road with a flat tire and not know what to do about it? I think we’ve all been there. But hey, that’s why I’m here - your friendly Blog Mechanic! I am here to tell you all about how to change a flat tire on the fly. If you have the supplies, which you should, this is easy as pie and you should be on the road in a jiffy. So, the things you’ll need are your owner’s manual, your spare tire, a tire wrench (shaped like a big X), and a jack. These things should have come with your vehicle, so check inside your vehicle to make sure you’ve got ‘em. You should also supplement the standard supplies with wheel wedges, a flashlight, and gloves (if you want - these make things a little easier). First, pull over to the side of the road slowly. You won’t hurt your car by driving it carefully to the side. Make sure the ground is level and you’re safely away from passing traffic. Turn your hazard lights on and apply the parking brake. If you have wheel wedges, put them behind your tires - if the flat is on the back, put the wedges in front of the front tires. If the flat’s on the front, put them behind your rear wheels. Then you should remove the hubcap or wheel cover on your tire. This will let you get to the lug nuts that hold your tire onto your vehicle. Protip: use the flat end of your lug wrench to take the hubcap off. If it doesn’t work, check your owner’s manual. Once the cap or cover is off, loosen the lug nuts - don’t take them off all the way! Just loosen them a little. Next, put the jack under the vehicle and jack it up just enough that that flat tire is six inches above the ground. You need to check your owner’s manual to find out where you are supposed to be placing the jack. If you place it improperly, you can cause damage to your car. Then you can take the lug nuts off all the way and take off the tire. Put the spare tire on the lug bolts and tighten the lug nuts by hand before lowering the vehicle back down to the ground - don’t lower it all the way, just lower it enough that the tire is touching the ground but the full weight of the car is not on the tire. Then you can tighten the lug nuts all the way and lower the vehicle down fully. Replace the hubcap, put all of your equipment away, and then go to a shop or dealership as soon as you can - spare tires aren’t meant to be driven on at high speeds or for long distances! I hope this helps - changing a flat tire isn’t as hard as it seems, and anyone can do it. Just make sure you always have what you need in your car so that you can take care of it if you need to. Thanks! Never Be Flat With Loughead Nissan