We’re all trying to get better fuel economy these days. It’s just a fact of life – we want to not spend as much on gas, and we’re also probably a bit more environmentally conscious than we used to be (as a society). So, we’ve put together some tips for increasing your fuel economy. Of course, you will NOT be able to go from getting 20 mpg to getting 75, but if you follow these tips you might see a one or two (or even, like, five) mile per gallon increase! So, check them out!

First of all, don’t speed! When you are speeding, you’re also accelerating and decelerating a lot, which can throw off your fuel efficiency. For every 5 mph over 50 you’re going, you’re paying about 10 to 20 cents more per gallon of gas. That adds up over time.

Second, use your cruise control. This helps with the speeding thing, and also eliminates extra acceleration and deceleration that happen when you’re on the highway. This can REALLY help with your fuel economy and also help make sure you don’t accidentally end up going 80 in a 40.

If you’ve got a storage box (think one of those Thule things) on your roof, consider switching it out for something rear-mounted. The roof boxes increase drag on your vehicle, which in turn decreases your MPG’s.

Don’t idle by the side of the road. If you’re parked or waiting for someone and are fully stopped, in Park (or neutral), then turn your car all the way off. Idling wastes a ton of fuel and can damage the environment with the exhaust created.

Finally, be patient. Focus on driving safely. When drivers are attentive, they drive better… of course… but this careful driving also saves money on gas. Who knew!

I don’t know about you, but this morning I woke up with frost on my windshield. This is just a sign that winter is coming, maybe sooner than we wanted. Regardless, this means there’ll be many more mornings of frost, snow, and ice on our cars in the future, and if we want to drive we’ll need to get rid of that ice and snow somehow. Here are some tips on how to do that without damaging your car by scratching the windshield or paint!

If your doors are frozen shut, pour a little cold water on them. Hot water can cause damage to glass and paint when it’s cold enough outside for water to freeze, so cold water – which is already warmer than the ice – will help to defrost your doors so you can open them. Don’t use a lighter, hair dryer, or anything pointy to try and melt or chip away at the ice. Patience is a virtue!

When it comes to your windshield, use the defroster. Clear away as much snow and ice as you can with a soft scraper – NO METAL!! The defroster function will loosen up and melt what’s left enough for you to use your wipers and clear off your windshield so you can drive. Before the weather gets really bad, invest in a plastic scraper and plastic brush for your car if you don’t already have them. Things like keys, knives, and spatulas can scratch your windshield. Make sure you use the defroster for your rear windshield as well, because you need to see out the back of your car as well.

All in all, patience is a virtue in the winter. Wait for your car to defrost without resorting to harsh scraping or melting methods that can damage your vehicle and you’ll thank yourself for it!

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.

Allman Brothers Band, “Midnight Rider”

The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride”

Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run”

Willie Nelson, “On the Road Again”

Prince, “Little Red Corvette”

Ray Charles, “Hit The Road Jack”

Tom Petty, “Runnin’ Down A Dream”

Smashing Pumpkins, “1979”

Grateful Dead, “Truckin”

Matt & Kim, “Daylight”

James Taylor, “Carolina In My Mind”

Stone Temple Pilots, “Interstate Love Song”

Sufjan Stevens, “Chicago”

Cake, “The Distance”

Albert Hammond, Jr., “101”

If you’re wondering what all of those songs listed above are, well, they’re the perfect road trip playlist! All in one place, and all easy for you to put into your music player of choice to jam to as you drive down the road to wherever your destination may be this season! And the thing about these songs is that they are perfect for any road trip occasion – going to Grandma’s for a holiday, going for a bit of a leaf peep, or even just going to the pumpkin patch (Halloween is coming soon)! Let us know what you thought on our Facebook page!

Is it time for you to get an oil change? Facts: if you’ve got a light on your dashboard that says you have maintenance required, then yes! It is time. But I bet you don’t know how to calculate that frequency yourself, or what you need to be doing to maintain the health of your engine in the meantime between oil changes, do you? Well, if you don’t, here you go. If you DO know, then good for you! Teach your kids what they need to know. If you don’t have kids, teach someone else’s kids.

So, first, the frequency of changes. They used to say that every 3,000 miles or six months was how often you should get your oil changed, but that’s definitely not true anymore. Depending on what type of oil is used, how many miles are on your engine, how hard you drive your car, where you drive your car, and what type of engine you have are all factors that go into determining how long you should go between oil changes. Your dealer is the best source of this information, but your owner’s manual is a close second.

Next, making sure your oil is in good shape! You should check it once a month. It’s a really easy process – simply open up the hood, pull out the oil dipstick (yellow handle, labeled, near the engine) and wipe it off with a clean cloth. Dip it in again and take a look at the oil when you pull it out. If it is between the two marks on the end of the dipstick, you’re good. If it’s a little higher, then that’s fine. If it’s low, then you should top off the oil – of course, before you do this you should know what type of oil is in your engine so you don’t mix and mess something up accidentally. You should also check for small particles in the oil – if there are particles, you should get your oil changed pretty soon. This is a good thing as it means the particles aren’t getting stuck to the inside of your engine parts, but you should still get your oil changed.

And that’s it! Good luck, and remember – coupons are your friend.

Defensive driving is a term that we have all heard, in reference to drivers’ ed classes and maybe if we’ve gotten pulled over a time too many. But did you know that it’s actually important to practice defensive driving in the day-to-day? Yeah, it is! When you drive defensively, you not only drive more safely, but you make sure that other drivers on the road are also safe! All because of your driving. Do you feel good about this? I definitely feel good about this. Anyway, here are some tips on how to drive defensively and be the HERO that the road NEEDS (maybe not the one it deserves, though).

Make sure that you’re paying attention at all times. To the road, specifically. Not to your music, not to your passengers, not to Siri yelling at you to TURN LEFT!!! Pay attention to the road and the other drivers on the road. They are your most important priorities when you are actively behind the wheel!!! Other drivers behave super erratically on a good day, so you need to be on your toes always to make sure you can account for the bad driving of other people. This means not tailgating, not cutting people off, merging correctly, and not getting mad when other people do all that to you and more.

Make sure that you have a plan B, always always always. If your first plan for how you’re going to get to your destination doesn’t work, you should have another idea of what to do. This can really help you avoid being super frustrated with traffic. On that same vein, though, remember that speeding is always a no-no. Focus on the journey, not the destination! I know, it’s B.S., but seriously. Plan well and you won’t have to speed to get where you’re going on time. And if you’re going to be late, accept it. Everyone would rather you arrive alive than never make it at all.

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.

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!

Is it that time to update your vehicle’s registration? It happens every so often – and it always seems like such a hassle whenever that time arrives. But, here’s some good news for you – it doesn’t have to be a hassle at all! In fact, it’s not really a hassle at all if you think about it. It’s much easier to approach this, like all things, in bite-sized pieces! Check out the process for renewing your Pennsylvania vehicle registration below, and then you can come back and thank us for making the process seem, like, a million times easier.

So, first things first, you can renew your registration in three ways. That’s a lot! And if you look at each method as independent (i.e. you only have to pick one, because you do) then that’s a really small piece to have to worry about. Those three ways are online, in person, and by mail. You’ll receive a renewal notice in the mail that will both let you know that you need to renew your registration and give you instructions on how to do it. But let’s go over it anyway. Here’s how to renew your registration each way it’s possible to do so.

Online

You can renew your vehicle registration online if:

• The PennDOT has your current name and address on file.

• Your registration will expire in 6 months or less.

To renew your registration online, visit the PennDOT website and:

Provide your:

• First 8 digits of your title number.

• PA license plate number.

• Insurance information.

• Odometer reading.

Then you can go ahead and print your temporary registration card!

Mail

To renew your registration via snail mail, just follow the instructions on your renewal notice. Return that notice, and payment for your registration, to the Pennsylvania DOT at the address on your notice.

In Person

To renew your PA vehicle registration in person, visit your local Pennsylvania DMV office with your renewal notice/application or a completed Request for Registration (form MV-140), if you do not have your renewal notice, as well as payment.

That’s all there is to it! Remember that you can visit the Pennsylvania DOT website at any time, and if you are looking for a vehicle to register in the first place, come down to Loughead® Nissan and we’ll get you behind the wheel of the perfect vehicle for you and your lifestyle. Hope to see you soon, and good luck!

As you all know, the 2018 Nissan LEAF premiered on the 5th of this month. I know, it’s been a couple weeks. Maybe one week? I have forgotten what time is, but I do know this: I AM STILL EXCITED ABOUT IT. This car is so beautiful. And it’s such a complete redesign that it’s literally like Nissan released a completely new car. But it’s still got the same great stuff that the original LEAF had, but inside of a super beautiful body. Oh, and with more battery power and torque and just all around style. Not to say that the old LEAF was ugly! Or unstylish! It’s just… not super attractive compared to the 2018 model. There, I said it. Don’t believe me? Watch this video. Then come to Loughead Nissan and look at the LEAFs that are in stock. You will be hard-pressed not to literally drive one home the day you come look at one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxhoYtiGzjI