Why Your MPG Isn’t What It Used to Be

These days, cars are getting better gas mileage than ever before. You don’t even have to buy a hybrid anymore to own a vehicle averaging 30 or 40 MPG. Many car owners notice that after a while, their MPG starts to wane. It’s easy to brush this off if you are still getting decent mileage, but this decrease in performance is often a symptom of bigger issues with your vehicle.

These are the most common reasons for a decrease in gas mileage:

Bad Fuel Injectors: Fuel injectors are what puts fuel in your engine. If your fuel injectors are leaking or dirty, less fuel is making it to the engine, leading to a decrease in performance and gas mileage.

Using the A/C Too Often: If you live in a milder climate, consider turn ...[more]

Most Common Causes for a Flat Tire

Few things are more inconvenient than a flat tire on your way to work or an important event. No one ever expects it to happen, but people get flats and find themselves stranded every day of the year for various reasons. These are a few of the top reasons people find themselves with a flat:

Extreme Temperature: If you’ve ever experienced a steep drop in temperature overnight, you may have noticed the “low pressure” light on your dash the morning after. For every 10 degrees Fahrenheit the temperature changes, your tires gain or lose 1 pound of pressure per square inch. When the temperature suddenly drops, your tires lose pressure. When the temperature escalates quickly, your tire pressure increases. Sometimes, in extreme heat, your tire pressure will expand beyond what your tires can handle, causing a failure in tire integrity. ...[more]

Why Does My Tire Pressure Change by Itself?

Fall weather in many areas can bring a large fluctuation in temperatures between daytime and nighttime. These changes in temperature can cause your tires to lose pressure as the air inside them expands and contracts. This triggers the “Check Tire Pressure” light on your dashboard. This light is known as the TPMS, or Tire-Pressure Monitoring System. For many of us, this light can be an alarming surprise. However, there is no need to panic. The light does not necessarily mean your tires are leaking.

During the fall season, when daytime temperatures are much higher than at night, keeping your tire pressure consistent can be a challenge. As temperature levels change, so does the air pressure in your tires. It’s the same as when you drive at higher speeds for an extended period ...[more]

Test Drive Checklist

In the hopes of finding the perfect used vehicle, you have researched, pulled history reports, and compared a dozen different vehicle makes and models. You have put a lot of time and effort into finding the right vehicle. Don’t let your excitement cost you down the road. A used car can save you money, but only if you buy the right one.

The right used vehicle will be one which appeals to you, has a clean history report, and doesn’t need expensive repairs. It can be difficult to tell if a vehicle is in good shape. The best thing to do, is test drive your potential new car and watch for the following signs.

Slow acceleration is one of the first things you might notice while test driving. This can be caused by several things. The mos ...[more]

How to Avoid a Summer Tire Blowout

Summer is here! With this season, comes fun in the sun, family vacations, and cookouts every weekend. Unfortunately, summer heat can also bring tire problems like blowouts. Tire blowouts are not only dangerous for you, but also for the vehicles around you. Luckily, there are several precautions you can take as a vehicle owner to help prevent your family from being stranded on the side of the highway with a tire blowout.

Maintain your tires’ air pressure. Your risk of a blowout is substantially higher if you’re cruising around with over or underinflated tires. This is an easy issue to prevent and just requires a little TLC. You’ll want to figure out what your tires’ optimal air pressure is, and get a tire gauge so you can check it regularly (every week or so, ideally). When you no ...[more]

Back to School Checklist

Check your vehicle’s engine oil. We’ll start off with an extremely basic item to mark off your list. Keeping your oil at the correct level is vital to your engine performance, and you’ll want to have it changed regularly. There is conflicting advice on how often you should change your engine oil. We suggest always referring to your vehicle’s owner’s manual for specific recommendations. Th ...[more]

Why is my Car Shaking?

Have you noticed your vehicle shaking lately? Believe it or not this is a common problem. Most cars shake for a variety of reasons including engine, steering, or brake issues. Your vehicle can also shake and vibrate because of wheel damage, uneven tread wear, tire balance issues, or neglected tire maintenances. We like to start with the simple fixes first. These tire and wheel issues are fast, easy, and affordable to fix!

If your vehicle is vibrating and shaking while you cruise down the road, you might be thinking of a dozen reasons why it is happening. What about wheel damage?

You may not even remember hitting a curb or speeding through a pothole but a variety of unnoticed scenarios can damage your wheels. Wheel damage is a leading cause of cabin ...[more]

What to do When Your Car Overheats

It’s finally summer and this year it looks like it’s going to be a hot one. If you’re like me, I bet you have already planned your vacation or at least scheduled a weekend getaway. At this point, I have packed my bags and planned a few fun activities for the family. I’m a little worried about one thing… my rental car. You never know if routine maintenance has been performed. I’m driving over 1,000 miles and can only hope the engine doesn’t overheat.

I can’t control what kind of maintenance my rental car will have but we can all control what happens with our own vehicles. There are several things you can do to ensure your vehicle won’t overheat on a long road trip and since I’m nervous about my rental car, I want to know what to do if ...[more]

Basic Tire Maintenance

A blown tire can ruin more than just your day. Tire trouble can cost you money, time, or even damage your vehicle. Sometimes there is no warning your tire is about to blow. Road debris can cause a sudden puncture and there won’t be much you can do, but most tire issues can be prevented with simple monitoring and maintenance. Check out our list of basic tire maintenance below.

Check Your Tire Pressure

The PSI of your tires varies depending on the type of tire you have and the type of driving you do. Your owner’s manual should contain a recommended PSI for your stock tires or you can check with the manufacturer of your current tire. Normally, PSI should be around 30 to 35. This means there is 30 to 35 pounds of pressure per square inch. All you nee ...[more]

Prepping a Summer Emergency Kit

It’s time to gear up for road trip season! Whether you are headed to the coast, on a cross-country road trip, or you’re off to the grocery store to prepare for a “staycation” at home, it’s always a good idea to have your car prepped with an emergency kit. When it comes to your car, the unexpected is bound to happen. Good drivers know this, embrace it and are prepared for anything that’s thrown their way!

While you may not be able to prepare for all scenarios, there are a few good measures you can take to make sure if a break down occurs, you and your family are safe. A fully-stocked emergency kit is a simple way to prepare for the unexpected. While some articles recommend stocking your kit with every item under the sun, we are just going to cover a few key items which will help your situation be a bit more manageable. ...[more]