Driving through rain and annoyed by how poorly your windshield wipers are working? Struggling to see with the water not being wiped off? The last thing you want is to be caught in a storm without functioning windshield wipers. To prevent this situation, we will review how you can tell if you need new wiper blades.
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Maintaining your car can feel like hard work. However, sometimes your car simply just needs its fluids checked and topped off if needed. To help ensure that your car functions properly, here’s our list of 6 essential fluids you should regularly check in your car.
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Vehicles are major investments. Not only do you drop a large chunk of your earnings into a car, but you likely expect to hang onto it for years. Then, when the time comes, you will want to get as much of that money back as you possibly can. To help maximize the resale value of your car, you will need to know how to protect your car’s paint. Here are a few easy ways to do so.
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Sometimes, you never know when your vehicle will require maintenance. It may be before you leave for work or while you are already on the road. To minimize stress, it’s best that every driver has prepared an emergency kit for their car to use when needed. Here’s our list of emergency kit items you should always keep inside your vehicle.
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An overheating engine is never a good sign and should always be taken seriously. At the same time, it’s important to not panic. Instead, you should be aware of what you should do if you have an overheating engine.
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While you may be ready for summer, it’s important to make sure your car is as well. Of course, you shouldn’t be left wondering which maintenance tasks you should complete. To help you, here’s our summer vehicle maintenance checklist.
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Many dog parents love bringing their furry companions along wherever they go. Whether you are taking Fido to the vet or bringing your pet along for a car ride, you’ll eventually come across some dog hair and odors left behind in your car. How do you minimize this? Here’s a few tips you should try to help keep your car clean while owning a dog.
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Regardless of how often you drive your vehicle, your tires will need to get replaced at some point. However, it’s not always obvious when you should get your tires replaced. How much tread should I watch for? What is the recommended amount of time I can go? If I don’t drive my car, can I go even longer without replacing the tires? Here, we will discuss when you should get your tires replaced.
Read the rest of this entryYou’re driving along, and suddenly you are completely blinded by the sun. The car in front of you is blinded also. They stop suddenly, and you must slam on the brakes.
Another scenario is when you’re sitting at a traffic light blocking the sun with your hand just so you can squint enough to see the light change color.
We all enjoy the sun, but it can be hazardous when driving. Here are some tips to enjoy the beautiful weather without being blinded by the sun.
Clean Your Windshield: Dirt and debris reflect light, making it even more difficult to see. Keeping your windshield clean helps to cut down on the glare caused by intense sunlight. If your windshield is cracked or heavily pitted, you may want to consider replacement for the same reason.
Keep the Dashboard Clean: Remove papers, parking passes, and debris from the dashboard before driving. They can reflect onto the windshield and add to the visibility challenges caused by the sun.
Sun Visors: Make sure your sun visors are properly attached to the car and functional. If you use the visor for storage, make sure you have the proper attachment to hold papers, sunglasses, and whatever else you’re keeping up there in one place. The last thing you need is stuff falling on you while you are already having difficulty seeing. If your visor isn’t long enough or doesn’t come down far enough, there are inexpensive extensions that attach easily. A polarized extension is worth the extra few bucks.
Sunglasses: This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is so easy to forget your shades! Take some time to get a pair that fit you well and are dark enough. Polarized lenses, while more expensive, improve visibility and better protect your eyes in the long haul.
Many vehicles come with sunglasses storage compartment in the dash or above the windshield. It’s generally worth it to keep a dedicated pair in the car if you can, even if they’re a less-expensive backup pair.
Hopefully these tips will help to ensure that the beautiful sunshine doesn’t end up putting a damper on your day, or a dent in your US Auto Sales car.
“It looks like you need new brakes.” are words no one ever looks forward to hearing because of the expense that comes with those words. We all know that brakes are one of the wear & tear maintenance items you can’t avoid There are some easy ways to extend the life of your brakes.
1. Be a smooth operator – Every time you brake, your brakes break down a bit. (Try saying that three times fast). The way you drive has a huge impact on how quickly your brakes will wear out. Braking from high speeds is much harder on the brakes. Giving yourself more distance between you and the car in front of you will decrease how often you brake, and it will minimize the number of sudden stops, reducing the wear & tear on your brakes. Not only is it much safer not to tailgate, but it is better for your brakes too!
2. Stop, in the name of love – When coming to a stop at a traffic light or stop sign, it is better to come to a complete stop once than to brake slowly and creep forward. Coming to a complete stop reduces the amount of friction on your brakes, increasing their longevity.
3. Lighten up – The more weight in your vehicle the harder the brakes need to work to stop. Take out any unnecessary weight from your vehicle. This will not only help extend the life of your brakes, but it will also improve your fuel efficiency.
4. Make a plan, Stan – Although the scenic route down windy back roads might be your preference when time allows, the amount of braking required will be much higher than the more direct highway route.
We can’t always control how much we need to use our brakes. Be aware and make these adjustments whenever possible to increase the life of your brakes!