There’s a secret about car maintenance that I am about to tell you – and unlike other secrets, you should tell literally everyone you know. The reason this is secret? Nobody really knows about it! But you will, and even though we can’t give you a cool pin or badge or anything to signify that you’re in the Club, you have a gold star on your heart forever. What is the secret, you ask?

You should check your tire pressure at least once a week. And the tread. I know, it’s not that exciting of a secret, but I wanted to hype it up a bit because it’s actually really important. You need a tire pressure gauge, which is a cheap thing you can get at any auto parts store, and you need to just make sure that your tire pressure is where it should be pretty regularly – especially in this cold weather we’ve been having. How do you know what the pressure in your tires should be? It’ll be in three places: your owner’s manual, the sticker on the inside of the driver’s side door jamb, and even on the tires themselves.

Checking your tread is similarly easy. All you need is a penny, and you just need to put the penny with Lincoln’s head facing directly down into the tread of your tire. If you can see the top of his head, then that means you really need to get new tires, like ASAP. If you can’t see the top of his head, then that means you’re good for a while. The closer you are to being able to see the top of Abe’s noggin, the closer you are to needing new tires.

At least check your tread every time you remember to do it. It’ll become a great habit, and you’ll always know that you can rely on your tires. Isn’t that great?

When you’re driving anywhere, the important thing is, of course, staying safe – but number two on that list? The tunes! Some folks listen to the radio, some have CD’s, but if you’re the type of person who likes to have a playlist, here’s the perfect one to carry you through the next few days (or weeks, or months, depending on how quickly you get tired of music). Check it out, test it out, and enjoy the drive!

Your New Favorite 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

Do you find that either one or both of your headlights is looking a bit dimmer than normal? It’s totally okay – though we’ve gone over the hump of the longest night of the year, it’s still dark out much earlier than in the summer and we’re bound to notice any headlight issues quite easily! So, if you do see that you’ve got a problem developing, check out why it might be happening!

If one headlight isn’t working, then you probably have a burned out bulb or other component relating to your headlight operation. This is an easy fix that your dealer can do for you. If neither of the headlights are working, it’s likely a bad component (i.e. a fuse, relay, or module) or the wiring. Have your dealer check your bulbs anyway!

If your high or low beams aren’t working, it could be the bulb(s), but it could also be because of a bad relay or control switch that’s stopped working properly.

If both of your headlights work, but are dim, then the lenses could be foggy or dirty or your headlights could just be nearing the ends of their natural lives. However, if they’re only dim in certain situations it could be a problem with your charging system. Before you take your vehicle to your dealer for diagnosis and repair, clean your headlights with cleaning solution or soap and water and a clean cloth to make sure that your headlights aren’t just dirty!

Well, folks, it’s December and now is the time to get your vehicle ready for the winter if you haven’t done so already. We’ve got all the important tips on how to winterize your car, so keep reading and then go make sure you’ve got everything ready!

First of all, assess your parking situation. Do you have a garage? If you can park your car in it, you’re doing great. If it’s full of junk from the summer, clean it out! You should use your garage for its intended purpose, especially in the winter.

Next is to check your fluids. Is everything at the level it’s supposed to be? How is your radiator doing? The coolant level is the one you should really be watching out for. You should also start using windshield washer fluid that contains nontoxic antifreeze.

Similarly, check on your windshield wipers. Make sure they’re in good shape and that they can handle the winter weather. Consider getting some wipers specifically designed to be used in the winter.

Test all of your defrosters and make sure they work. If not, get them checked out soon.

Is your battery new? If not, give it a once-over. Are the connections tight and not corroded or rusted? Is everything working the way it should be?

Finally, check on your tires. Make sure the treads are still good, and that they are at the right air pressure level. If you tend to get a lot of snow, consider getting snow tires or other accessories (like tire chains) to get you through those slick spots.

Are you gripped with dread, fear, and horror at even the thought of your check engine light coming on? How do you feel when it actually does come on? I know that I am immediately thrown into panic and my brain says something like “well, I guess your car is broken forever now.” Not helpful, brain!!! But then I did a little research on why my check engine light comes on, and apparently, it’s not usually nearly as bad as you might think it would be. In fact, the most common reason can often be solved by just tightening your gas cap. Check out why your check engine light might be coming on in our list below.

1. It could be your gas cap. Seriously, if your gas cap is loose or broken or cracked or totally missing, this could be what’s making that light come on. So if the light appears, the first thing you should do is check on your gas cap. It’s a possibility that you’ve found the solution. If the cap is broken or missing, your dealer can replace it.

2. Spark plugs are also a likely culprit. Everyone needs to get them replaced every so often (usually about 100,000 miles in newer cars) and it might be time for yours to be switched out.

3. Your Mass Airflow Sensor could be to blame. This part tells your car’s computer to add the right amount of fuel based on the amount of air that’s coming in to the engine. When this piece is broken, your emissions increase, your efficiency decreases, and your car might stall.

4. Maybe your oxygen sensor(s) are to blame. Your O2 sensors monitor the unburned oxygen in your exhaust, which tells your vehicle’s computer how much fuel is being burned in your engine. When the sensor is broken, your mileage can decrease. Don’t wait too long to get this checked out.

5. It could also be your catalytic converter. This is also a reason your check engine light might be coming on. If this part is broken or faulty, it won’t reduce your exhaust gases like it’s supposed to, which in turn will decrease your MPGs and mess with your acceleration. Get this fixed IMMEDIATELY, even though it is the most expensive repair on the list. (Note: if you need to get your O2 sensors replaced but don’t do it, you can burn your cat out.)

If part of your holiday tradition includes taking a longer road trip to a relative’s house – or doing that but multiple times instead of just once – you might be in sore need of entertainment for your passengers. That’s where car games come in! You can’t really play normal games in the car because cards are messy and other games have lots of little pieces that’ll get jolted around. Plus, you know, the driver needs to be able to pay attention to the road. Check out our five favorite games to play on the road below!

1. Alphabet Game: Try and find each letter of the alphabet in order without using license plates. No, you can’t save that “Q” for later!

2. 50 States Game: Try and find a license plate from each of the 50 states. This is hard if you’re not on a long trip, so keep your eyes peeled!

3. I Spy: The classic! The person who’s the spy picks out an object and everyone else has to guess what it is based on a simple descriptor (“I spy something red”). This is great for smaller children.

4. My Cows: If you see cows in a field, yell out “MY COWS.” They are now yours. If you see a graveyard, you can yell “BURY YOUR COWS” while pointing at someone else who has cows, and now their cows are dead. If you see a place of worship and you have cows in your possession, yell “MARRY MY COWS” and now you have double cows. Do not count your cows. This is very fun for everyone.

5. What’s That Car: For the automobile enthusiasts, this game is great! Spot a car ahead of you on the road and try to guess correctly what type of car it is from as far away as possible.

This week, we wanted to dedicate our blog to the people who matter most to us – our customers! Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are. You’re the reason we’re here and we’re so happy to give you the great services you have come to expect from us. Take a minute to check out some of the reviews folks have left for us, and if you feel inclined, please leave one yourself!

Topping off your gas tank is something that I think all of us do. We always try to get the number to an even one – instead of $19.42 I’ll try to get it to $19.50 or $20. However, topping off your tank is actually a really bad idea. Here’s why!

It can overwhelm your vehicle’s evaporative system, which can break something or cause a leak due to built up pressure. If your gas tank is too full, the pressure inside of it builds up past the safe level when the gas heats up as your car is moving. If there is too much fuel in the tank, the extra gets sent to the evaporation system. If you habitually overfill your tank, then you’ll kill your evaporation system much quicker than normal.

The second thing is that you’re wasting a lot of money by doing this. Modern gas stations have systems at the pumps where if the pump senses too much fuel going into your vehicle’s tank, the excess will just go right back up the hose and back into the station’s fuel tank. The cents on the screen go up, but the gas never goes into your tank. No matter how much gas it is, you’re potentially wasting a lot of money over time on gas that’s not even going into your car.

Break the habit of topping up! When the handle releases the first time, just let it be. You can do it – and save some money at the same time!