by Auto Blish | Mar 1, 2023 | Car Checklist |
Winter is coming. You may be excited to sharpen up that sled, those skis, or those skates to get back on the snow. It’s a lot of fun to do these activities, but getting there is the stressful part. Driving in winter can be very dangerous as compared to other times of the year as snow and ice can severely affect the control of our cars. To get ready to drive in winter conditions this year, learn about the best ways to stay safe on the roads.
Check Road and Weather Conditions Before Leaving
Turn on your weather app to see what the forecast has in store for you. Also, get tips for your destination on Google Maps. It will tell you how the traffic is going and how long it will take you to get there. This will also help you plan your route forward time. If you see a road that is backed up with traffic or if there has been an accident, check for alternative routes that may be safer to drive.
Leave a Lot of Room in Front of Your Car
You should never tailgate regardless of the weather, but you should never tailgate when it’s snowing. Braking on snow and ice will take longer to stop and can cause you to spin out of control if you’re going too fast. When driving a car in traffic, leave about four seconds of distance between you and the car in front of you. This will keep you and your other drivers safe if you need to brake quickly.
Be Patient
Everyone on the road has to be somewhere, but they also want to get there safely. If someone is driving slower than the speed of the traffic and you are behind him, don’t lose your temper and move to the other lane. If you hit an ice floe, you can spin out of control, causing even more delays. Take your time when trying to pass someone on the highway. Check your blind spot and merge safely into the next lane. Do not speed up either to pass the other driver, gradually increase the speed until you are at a safe speed to pass and safely back into that lane.
Being patient also means leaving extra early to reach your destination on time. Chances are you’ll encounter some delays along the way, so leave early to give yourself extra time when they start to slow down.
Have an Emergency Plan
In worst-case scenarios, you could find yourself stranded or trapped in the snow. Do not panic, stay in your vehicle and call for help from roadside assistance, or if you are in danger, call 911.
Be safe on the roads this winter, respect your fellow drivers, and take your time. Keep your eyes on the road and be prepared for long journeys.
by Auto Blish | Mar 1, 2023 | Safety Tips |
If you live in a climate with extremely cold temperatures in the winter and extremely hot temperatures in the summer, your windshield is likely to fog up all year round! It can get annoying to deal with after a while; When it’s cold outside, you just want to turn down the heat, but that results in fogging up inside your windows. When it’s hot outside, you blast the air conditioning, but it has the opposite effect as fog accumulates outside your windows and begins to blur your vision.
Temperature and the amount of moisture in the air are what cause your windows to fog up. When it’s cold outside, the moisture inside your car turns into condensation when it hits the air near the windows. Dampness can be caused by many different things, including snow that you’ve picked up in your car or when you breathe. Condensation is what makes your windows foggy. When it’s hot outside, the opposite effect occurs. When moist air from the AC system comes in contact with your cool windows, a fog will appear on the outside of your windows.
It doesn’t matter if the fog is inside or outside your car; Fog makes it difficult to see, making driving very dangerous. Here are some tips on how to properly defogger your windshield and windows, whether it’s summer or winter outside.
Dealing With Cold Weather Fog
When your car is cooler than the outside temperature, your car will start to fog up when you turn up the heat. For a quick solution to this problem, follow these steps:
- Turn your heat on to max temperature.
- Turn on the air conditioning which allows moisture to be pulled from the air.
- Turn off recirculation. This allows dry, cool air to get into your car.
- If possible, break the window for a while. It helps convert moist indoor air into dry air.
Dealing With Warm Weather Fog
When the humidity level outside is higher than inside your car, in hot weather the moisture condenses on the outside of the glass. To avoid this type of fog you have to change the temperature inside your car and try to match it with the outside temperature. The next time your windows fog up during the summer, try following these instructions:
- Clear the fog off with your windshield wipers. Because fog tends to accumulate outside, your windshield wipers are great for getting rid of fog easily.
- Try warming up the car a bit. You can still leave the air conditioning on but keep it on a low setting that will try to match the temperature outside.
- Turn off the recirculation button. This will help you fight foggy windows as the humidity level and temperature begin to equilibrate with the climate outside.
Driving with fogged-up windows is very annoying, and driving is dangerous. Use these tips to clean your windows and drive with better vision!
by Auto Blish | Mar 1, 2023 | Car Care |
If you are driving chances are you’ve encountered some nasty winter weather, which means you need to have a set of seasonal tires to drive safely on Indian roads. When winter is over, you need to put your summer tires back on your car and put your winter tires in storage. That’s a great start, but too many people end their winter tire storage process right there. To properly store your seasonal tires in the summer and your regular tires in the winter, so you don’t need to replace them as often, follow these tips:
Wash and Treat Your Tires
Before you put your tires away for storage, make sure you wash and treat them. Tires made of natural and synthetic rubber can dry out completely during storage. If they dry out, it can lead to rot and cracks, which is obviously not good for the health of your tires. Treat your tires with tire cleaner and wipe off the residue. Next, spray some tire dressing on the rubber. This tire dressing will soak into the rubber to keep it from drying out during storage.
When your tires are on the road, they can collect a lot of dirt which can reduce their quality. Wash them with detergent, wash them, and make sure they are completely dry before putting them away.
Tire Pressure
Under-inflated tires can develop flat spots when stored away for the season. To make sure your tires are in working condition when you put them back in your car, make sure you have good tire pressure and that your tires are fully inflated. Fully inflated tires in storage will also help them retain their rounded shape!
Inspect Them With Your Own Eyes
Check every part of your tire that you can see with your naked eye. Check the tread, sidewall, and bead for any damage or excessive wear. If you notice that your tires are damaged in any way before being put in storage, this gives you plenty of time to replace them if you need to. If you notice uneven wear on your tires, visit an auto shop to have your alignment, suspension, and wheel bearings checked so that your other tires don’t meet the same fate.
Label Your Tires
When you go to put your tires away, label your tires so you know where they were in your vehicle before you unloaded them. Use FR for the front right, BL for the rear left, etc. You don’t want to mess up your tire rotation schedule by changing tires too soon.
Keep the Tire Flat
Keep your tires upright in your storage area. This will prevent your tires from suffering from flat spots, plus it will prevent them from rolling around in storage. Put your tires in a bag, and lay them on a piece of plywood to keep them clean until they hibernate.
by Auto Blish | Mar 1, 2023 | Car Maintenance |
When winters arrive, most of us pay extra attention to making sure our vehicles are winter ready. We make emergency kits in case we get lost in a blizzard, we make sure our batteries are in working condition because being stuck in the cold with a dead battery is something no one wants to deal with, and We make sure that our winter tires are in perfect condition and in good shape so that we can trek safely throughout the winter season.
However, in the spring, many of us still rely on our pre-winter vehicles to transport us through the beautiful countryside as trees begin to bud and flowers begin to grow again. If you want to ensure that your vehicle will last a long and healthy life, you will now need to perform spring maintenance to properly switch to snowless drive.
Change Your Winter Tires
When snow is in the forecast, the first thing you should do is take off your winter tires and replace them with your summer or all-season tires. Many people don’t take off their winter tires during the spring and summer, which can ruin traction when driving on dry roads. When you take off your winter tires, make sure you clean them thoroughly and stack them flat on top of each other until you need them again next winter.
Do a Quick Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning isn’t just dedicated to your home and garage! You should also do a spring cleaning of your car immediately. Throw away those old coffee cups and fast food bags you left in the back seat, and hand washes both the inside and outside of your car to give it a nice shine when you drive in the spring sunshine. Wash your mats of salt and dirt that have accumulated over the winter and break out the vacuum to clean the crumbs from the carpets inside your car.
Check Your Brakes
Your brakes are used a lot in winter due to slower traffic and faster braking is required to come to a safe stop without sliding in the snow. When spring hits, check to see if your brakes make a rough or screeching sound. Also, see if the brake check light on your dashboard is on. If you see these signs, you will need to take them to a professional mechanic to have them repaired or replaced.
Check Your Battery
Winter weather can be harsh on batteries, too. Most people drive their cars longer in the morning to warm them up before going to work. This can wear out the battery faster, so make sure it’s still running properly is essential to ensure you don’t experience a dead battery while driving in the spring. When you get your tires changed, call the mechanic as he or she can check your battery level to see if you need to replace it.
by Auto Blish | Mar 1, 2023 | Performance |
While automatic cars outnumber manual cars on the road, stick shifts are still not extinct. The few people who still drive manuals in North America are generally passionate defenders of this type of transmission. While manual transmission options should not be overlooked, it should be noted that its benefits can sometimes be overstated. Here are common advantages of manual vehicles and how they stack up against automated vehicles:
Manual Cars Get Better Fuel Economy
When the automatic transmission first appeared, it was less fuel-efficient than manual transmission vehicles. However, with advances in technology, this is no longer always the case. Many examples on the market of automatic transmission vehicles are as or even more fuel-efficient than their manual counterparts.
Manual Cars Cost Less
Most of the time, the manual version of the vehicle will cost less, but not in every case. The cost of the BMWs Manual transmission is the same as the automatic. In addition, it may be difficult to find a manual version of the car you want. Only 9% of cars for sale in Canada today have a manual transmission – down from 35% in 1980.
Best Sports Cars Only Come With Manual Transmissions Technology
Depending on your definition of cool, this isn’t true all the time. There are many Porsches, Jaguars, Maseratis, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris that are made only with automatic transmissions. Yet, many people are stuck in the mindset that a manual transmission is the only way to be fastest. But, there is a reason why these flagship high-performance cars are no longer offered with manual transmissions.
Automatic is Always an Option Anyway
Some cars, mostly sporty, only come with manual transmission models. Some examples are the Fiat 500 Abarth, Audi TT RS, Volkswagen Golf R, and Mazdaspeed 3.
Teen Wants to Learn Driving
Many drivers who are just learning to drive have little or no contact with the stick, so they have little interest in learning to operate it. Most new drivers are satisfied with their automatic transmission cars and don’t want to be burdened with learning something new.
Manuals Deter Theft
Because fewer people know how to operate a stick shift, it is less likely to be stolen. However, there is little concrete data to support that claim. Thieves have varying degrees of intelligence and skill, so it is difficult to determine the exact factors that make one car more likely to be stolen than another. Newer models also have more sophisticated security systems that are also more difficult to bypass. At the end of the day, finding someone who drives a manual is more comfortable than going through a complicated anti-theft system.
Stick-shift Advantages
Most people agree that driving a manual is more fun than an automatic one. Driving stick is also a skill that can come in handy if you are a passenger in a manual-transmission car and the driver is incapacitated in some way. It is also convenient when you are approaching a location where only manual vehicles are available.
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