Posts Tagged ‘Tips’

Tips for Holiday Travel from CarCheckup

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

 

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Here are some handy tips from the team at CarCheckup to keep in mind as you prepare for your holiday travels.

036 Tips for Holiday Travel from CarCheckup Check your tire pressure before you leave – Check your owners manual for proper tire pressure and make sure your tires are properly inflated.  A blowout is a horrible way to delay your travels 

036 Tips for Holiday Travel from CarCheckup Double check your spare tireMake sure your spare tire is accessible and aired up.  Should you need it, you won’t want to have to take everything out of the trunk in the cold to get to your spare…and you absolutely don’t want to find out it’s flat.

036 Tips for Holiday Travel from CarCheckup Belt Check – In the old days, braking a belt would mean you were stranded on the side of the road.  Today’s modern car are likely to suffer major engine damage if a belt breaks. On newer engines the engines are timed so that the heads and valves can actually occupy the same space at different times.  Should a belt fail, these components can crash into each other causing catastrophic damage.

036 Tips for Holiday Travel from CarCheckup Check Radiator and Radiator Reservoir – Make sure you’re coolant levels are full. Check both the radiator itself as well as the overflow reservoir.  The overflow is normally located close to the firewall in the engine component.   Safety Note: Never remove the radiator cap from a hot radiator.  Hot liquid and steam that is pressurized in the radiator can escape when the cap is removed causing severe burns.

If you’re car begins to overheat during your trip…turn you heat to to full and turn the full to maximum. It will get uncomfortable, but it will buy you time to pull off to the side of the road (or to a service station) before the car boils over.

036 Tips for Holiday Travel from CarCheckup Have an emergency kit – Keep a prepaid phone card and a prepaid debit card in your emergency kit in addition to the “standard” items like flares/triangle, flashlight, first aid kit, and tire jack.  With cold weather approaching you should also keep a blanket, coat, hat, and other items to keep you and your traveling companions warm. It’s also a good idea to keep cat litter and a shovel in your trunk if space permits so that you have a way to dig out and get traction should you get stuck.

036 Tips for Holiday Travel from CarCheckup Take Your Account Numbers – Have an AAA, OnStar or other service that can get you help in a roadside emergency?  Make sure you have the phone numbers, account numbers, and any other pieces of information you may need to use those services.

036 Tips for Holiday Travel from CarCheckup Take some cash! – We all rely on credit and debit cards as a convenient way to pay for our everyday purchases.  Be sure to also have some cash incase there is a problem with your card.

If you are a user of the CarCheckup system, take a minute to check your car for Pending Trouble codes before your trip.  Pending trouble codes are the precursor to something going wrong and your check engine light coming on.  If you are a user of our system, you owe it to yourself to get a clean bill of health for your car before you go.  As we say here at CarCheckup, “Know Before You Go!”

Photo credit: HunterJumper on Flicker

Do you have tips to share with our readers?  Share them in the comments below!

Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

4128366474 a97dfc889a Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel

Photo Credit: WishUponACupcake via Flicker

Here are some handy tips from the team at CarCheckup to keep in mind as you prepare for your Thanksgiving travels.

036 Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel Check your tire pressure before you leave – Properly inflated tries can save you from a blow out. 
036 Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel Double check your spare tire – is it aired up and in working order in case you need it.
036 Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel Belt Check – To tell if your belts are worn simply give them a look and see if they are showing sign of cracking or fraying.
036 Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel Check Radiator and Radiator Reservoir – Make sure you’re coolant levels are full.  Overheating is a terrible way to spend your vacation. 

If you’re car begins to overheat during your trip…turn you heat to to full and turn the full to maximum. It will get uncomfortable, but it will buy you time to pull off to the side of the road (or to a service station) before the car boils over.

036 Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel Have an emergency kit – Keep a prepaid phone card and a prepaid debit card in your emergency kit in addition to the “standard” items like flares/triangle, flashlight, first aid kit, and tire jack.  With cold weather approaching you should also keep a blanket, coat, hat, and other items to keep you and your traveling companions warm.
036 Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel Take Your Account Numbers – Make sure you have your account numbers and their related phone numbers.  AAA, Auto Insurance, OnStar, or any similar service could be invaluable if you break down…but only if you have their phone number (and other required information handy)
036 Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel Take some cash! – In this world of debt cards and credit cards it’s easy to not think about having some cash on hand, but a lost credit card or…the credit card company thinking a purchase your trying to make on your trip looks “suspicious” and freezing your card can leave you in a bind if you don’t have cash on hand.

If you are a user of the CarCheckup system, take a minute to check your car for Pending Trouble codes before your trip.  Pending trouble codes are the precursor to something going wrong and your check engine light coming on.  If you are a user of our system, you owe it to yourself to get a clean bill of health for your car before you go.  As we say here at CarCheckup, “Know Before You Go!”

 

Do you have tips to share with our readers?  Share them in the comments below!

       buy it now Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel         TeenWithSign Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel         ManWithSign Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel

Don’t forget CarCheckup has your solutions to your automotive information needs!
RedSmallArrow Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel    Need an Automotive Diagnostic Tool because your Check Engine Light on?
RedSmallArrow Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel    Need a Vehicle Tracking System to monitor your companies fleet vehicles or fleet drivers?
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RedSmallArrow Tips for Safer Thanksgiving Travel    Looking for peace of mind for your teen aged driver – Check out our solution to monitor teen driving
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Four Best Ways to Handle Runaway Acceleration

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

FordKeys thumb Four Best Ways to Handle Runaway Acceleration No, it’s not likely that your accelerator will stick as your driving down the road, but let’s take a look at what you need to know to get though this in the safest way possible…just in case

  1. DON’T Panic!  – This is easier said than done, I know, but the key to not panicking is knowing what to do and what NOT to do. That’s what we’re trying to help you with here!
  2. Apply firm, steady break pressure.  Pumping the breaks is bad advice because it drains off the vacuum used by your power breaks.  Once the vacuum is gone, the power assisted breaking is gone.
  3. Attempt to shift the car in neutral.  Shifting the car into neutral will remove the power from the wheels.  Once in neutral the engine will not be able to propel the car.  Once the engine isn’t pushing the wheels you should be able to use your breaks as normal to bring the car to a stop in a safe place.  On most vehicles this is a mechanical link, so it is likely to be an option even if the accelerator is stuck…if it’s a mechanical defect like a floor matt that causing the pedal to stick or if it’s a software issue that’s causing the unintended acceleration.
  4. If that fails, turn off the vehicle at the ignition.  Turn the key to the ACC or Accessory position.  This is the position that lets you listen to the radio and use the power windows with the engine starting.  This will shut off the engine, remove power from the wheels, and let you stop the car safely.

Notes, Tips, and other Items to be Aware Of:

036 Four Best Ways to Handle Runaway Acceleration KEEP STEERING – On cars with power breaks and/or power steering, if the engine is not running the power assist will not work.  This will make the steering stiffer and heavier and will make that breaks more difficult to use…but they will work.  Think of the “good ‘ole days” when all cars has no power breaks or power steering…it’s still works, it just takes a bit more elbow grease.
036 Four Best Ways to Handle Runaway Acceleration READ – Read your owners manual and get familiar with your manufactures recommended emergency procedures.  Some vehicles are equipped with  special emergency override that you should get familiar with…before you need them.  For example, some vehicles have an emergency override system that will kill the engine if the breaks and accelerator is pushed at the same time.  Some vehicles with push button ignition have a safety mechanism where buy pushing and holding the START button for 3 seconds or more the engine will be shutdown.
036 Four Best Ways to Handle Runaway Acceleration DON’T pump the break.  Even, firm, consistent break pressure is the key. In the days before AntiLock Breaks drivers we told to pump the break to help maintain control in a slide.  With the advent of ABS the breaking system handles this for the driver (and much more efficiently than a human can, I might add.)  Modern cars will perform better at stopping when steady, firm, consistent pressure is used.
036 Four Best Ways to Handle Runaway Acceleration DON’T remove the key from the ignition.  Doing so will cause the steering wheel to lock!  Then you have TWO problems to contend with.

DON’T drive the car again until it has been looked at by a knowledgeable mechanic.

This is an uncommon, but dangerous situation.  Knowing what to do and what not to do could make the difference in an emergency.

What has your experience been ?  Let us know in the comments section below.