Avoid “Turkey” of a Weekend with Pre-Trip Vehicle Check

One way to avoid a turkey of a Thanksgiving road trip is to make sure the vehicle you will be driving is running well. A 10-minute pre-trip check is small potatoes compared to a big helping of inconvenience if you break down many miles away from home, according to the Car Care Council.

“A pre-trip vehicle check provides peace of mind, helping reduce the chance of costly car trouble and providing an opportunity to have any repairs performed by one’s own trusted technician before hitting the road,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “While no inspection can guarantee a car’s performance, it’s comforting to know proper precautions were taken to ensure a stress-free Thanksgiving road trip.”

The Car Care Council suggests the following 10-minute vehicle check to help ensure safety and reliability on the road:

• Check the tires, including tire pressure and tread. Uneven wear indicates a need for wheel alignment. Tires should also be checked for bulges and bald spots.
• Check all fluids, including engine oil, power steering and brake and transmission, as well as windshield washer solvent and antifreeze/coolant.
• Check the hoses and belts that can become cracked, brittle, frayed, loose or show signs of excessive wear. These are critical to the proper functioning of the electrical system, air conditioning, power steering and the cooling system.
• Check lighting to identify any problems with exterior and interior lighting as the chance of an accident increases if you can’t see or be seen.
• Check wipers. Wiper blades should be replaced every six months. Make sure the windshield wipers are working properly and keep the reservoir filled with solvent.

The Car Care Council also recommends that motorists restock their emergency kit. To save on fuel costs during the trip, the council suggests that motorists avoid aggressive driving, observe the speed limit and avoid excessive idling. Gas caps that are damaged, loose or missing should be replaced to prevent gas from spilling or evaporating.

Courtesy of: http://www.carcare.org/2012/11/avoid-turkey-of-a-weekend-with-pre-trip-vehicle-check/

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How to Protect Your Car’s Interior

Try to add up the hours you spend in your car. It’s a lot, isn’t it? Commutes, errand runs and road trips can have you sitting in those bucket seats for hours on end, and during that time, you and your passengers are actually living in the interior. That means smudges on the windows, scratches on the dash and food in the seat crevices accumulate and leave you wondering what happened to the spotless interior you swear it had when you first bought the car.

A Quick Clean

Luckily, it’s not that difficult to keep a car’s cabin from looking a little too, well, lived in. First things first, get something to stuff your trash into. Just use a plastic bag or a container you don’t use around the house and throw it in the backseat. You can even affix a temporary hook to the door or seat to keep things even neater. Every once and awhile, take it out and relish in the fact that you haven’t spent an hour cleaning up. Keeping trash off the floor also preserves your carpets, which can get stained from any number of items.

The idea of taking a rag to your dash and leather seats is made easier if you have them on-hand. The key here is to just use a little bit of soapy water to wipe the surfaces of your car – some cleaning products contain alcohols that prematurely dry and age the materials by reducing the flexibility in the vinyl. Store a small spray bottle of your homemade cleaning fluid and a rag under your seat or in a storage bin for access when you’re waiting for your kids to get out of school or sitting in that crazy-long drive-through line. This will also come in handy when an emergency spill happens. Lastly, keep your car smelling like roses (or at least a laundromat) by adding dryer sheets under the seats.

Weather Resistant
You can’t discount the impact weather has on your vehicle either. In summer, sandy feet can quickly make a mess of an interior, and dare we mention the destruction caused by mud and snow? If you spend a lot of time ducking in and out of the elements, you might want to grab some all-weather floor mats. They’re easy to clean and do a great job of keeping the muck in one place.

The sun’s rays can also wreak havoc on your car’s surfaces, causing vinyl to crack over time and materials to fade. A simple solution is to regularly put a sunshade on the windshield. They’re inexpensive and help to keep your interior looking new.

Saving money on repair work and cleaning comes more easily when you take the time to make preventative care a priority. Not only will these tricks make your car a nicer place to be, keeping grime out of your ride will cut down on large maintenance costs in the future and will help to retain its value over time

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Happy Halloween!

Don’t know what to do to celebrate Halloween? Here’s a few ideas:

Allen's Haunted Hayrides
Fayette County
Now in its 33rd year, Allen's Haunted Hayride bills itself as the oldest haunted hayride in America. Ghosts and ghouls await you in the dark woods and fields, and haunted barn. Campfire sites, carnival rides and concessions invite you to make an evening of it.

Castle Blood
Westmoreland County
The MacCabre Family is back for their 20th year in an all-new indoor location in Monessen in Pittsburgh's Mon Valley. This popular haunt includes thrills, chills, awesome special effects, and a very interactive experience. Daytime "no scare" tours also available on Sunday October 21 & 28, 2012.

Demon House
Washington County
The gorgeous old 17-room McCue Mansion in Monongahela, PA, is completely revamped and transformed as a Halloween haunt. This is not your typical haunted house full of gimmicks, however. Owner Billy McCue says there won't be a "guy with a chainsaw running after you." Instead he calls Demon House a "haunted experience."

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Tips for Driving on Snow and Ice

It’s that time of year again, winter! Check out tips from The Weather Channel on how to drive on snow and ice.

The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it.

Don't go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do their work, and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.

If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared (TIPS), and that you know how to handle road conditions.

It's helpful to practice winter driving techniques in a snowy, open parking lot, so you're familiar with how your car handles. Consult your owner's manual for tips specific to your vehicle.

Driving safely on icy roads

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
8. Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
9. Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If your rear wheels skid...

1. Take your foot off the accelerator.
2. Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
3. If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
4. If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
5. If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.

If your front wheels skid...

1. Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.
2. As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If you get stuck...

1. Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
2. Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
3. Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
4. Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
5. Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
6. Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner's manual first — it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you're in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.

Read more: http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/drivingsafety/drivingsafetytips/snow.html

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Scarehouse

Looking to get REALLY scared? Check out Pittsburgh Scarehouse one of America's most horrifying attractions!

The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh, PA is ranked as one of "America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions" by Travel Channel and as one of America's best haunted houses by USA Today, Forbes, Fangoria, and Haunted Attraction magazine. The ScareHouse offers three haunts for just one price: The Forsaken, Pittsburgh Zombies, and NEW for 2012: Creepo's Christmas in 3-D. "Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Haunted House" is located just minutes from downtown and open on select dates from late September through October.

Visit http://www.scarehouse.com/ for more information

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Safe Driving Tips: Heavy Rain

Fall is here, and with it come the dangers of driving in heavy rainfall... something we all have to deal with.  So how do we deal with hydroplaning and low view distance?


AAA offers these tips of advice.

Go slowly. Slow down and increase following distances. Speed limits are set for ideal road conditions. When it rains, visibility is reduced and braking distances increase.

Light up. Use low-beam headlights to help others see your car and increase your visibility. Remember Maryland law requires headlights to be on when windshield wipers are in use.

Be careful of standing and running water. As little as six inches of water on a road can cause most drivers to lose control of their vehicle. Nearly half of all people who die in flash floods are in cars and have underestimated the power of flood waters or have not acted quickly enough to escape. Do not drive through moving water or flooded areas. If floodwaters arise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can safely do so. If not, do not open your car doors, stay within your vehicle and call 911.

Be a follower. Driving in the tracks of other vehicles can improve traction and help avoid hydroplaning.

Read more: http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/weather/safety/safety-tips-for-driving-in-heavy-rain#ixzz28wNQwICo.

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The 2013 Ford Focus

Unknown Reviewer:

The 2013 Focus may be a car that sits in the back of your mind... it's really just... there. It's not supposed to be a luxury sedan, and if price is of no major consequence you would probably purchase a sporty looking Mini Cooper or something of that nature. But there's one thing the auto industry needs to know... the 2013 Focus is a force to be reckoned with.

For months I have been droning on and on about how I need to drive the 2013 Dodge Dart. It has sexy outward appearance, bears the oh so trusty dodge emblem, and is allegedly all things tech crammed into a neat tasty package. So I got my chance to drive both, a mid-package Focus and Dart.

The Dart was certainly a smooth ride and the looks were everything I thought they would be. At 6'5" I fit comfortably in the drivers seat with enough room for a passenger behind (although they would be a bit cramped"... but that was where the amazement ceased. The dash was admittedly a bit bland (although pretty and fitting for the car) and the engine felt little more exciting than a 2000 Dodge Neon.

Then there was the ford Focus... a oasis in the midst of a desert. My uncle managed to pick one up for around $13,000 after rebates and discounts and it proved to be magnitudes more exciting.

Let's start with thing number one... Ecoboost is amazing. This car can get real-mpg up to about 38mpg even with my lead foot and the acceleration feels like a V-6. The car isn't light and pushy like previous generations and the center console, while intimidating at first, fits the look of the car very much.

The other features looked and felt very practical and the interior is built of solid materials as well as comfortable seats. If anyone knows about seat comfort it would be me at 350lbs. This car is more than I expected overall and my expectations were low. Needless to say... I now drone on and on about owning a 2013 Ford Focus... and purchasing is in my future.

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