Care Care Council

7101 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 1300
Bethesda, MD 20814-3415
http://www.carcare.org/

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Thanksgiving Travel by Car Saves Money and Headaches

With gas prices dropping and airlines making drastic cuts to the number of flights they will offer over the Thanksgiving holiday, the Car Care Council suggests that driving may not only save you money, but will also save you from plenty of travel headaches.

Your Car's Safety Check Should Start With A Stop

When it comes to your car's safety, brakes top the list of systems that need monitoring. However, many people are unaware of the signs that indicate a car's brakes may need maintenance or repair.

For routine maintenance, it's important to check the vehicle's braking system at least once a year. A thorough inspection should include brake lining wear, brake fluid level, rotor thickness, condition of hoses and brake lines, brake and dash warning lights, as well as taking the car for a test drive to detect other potential brake system problems.

Are Dirty Cabin Air Filters Preventing You From Breathing Easily in Your Car?

During the hot summer months, contaminants, such as pollen, dust, mold spores and smog, can easily enter a vehicle's passenger compartment through the air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, making the air in the car six times dirtier than the air outside, cautions the Car Care Council.

Remanufacturing: The Original Recycling

Ten or 15 years ago, auto technicians would rebuild hard parts for customers right in the shop. Today, that system doesn't work, because consumers don't have time to wait and don't want to pay for the additional labor. Remanufacturing now solves these problems, and as such, it is one of the largest product categories in the automotive aftermarket. The entire remanufacturing industry generates approximately $65 billion in sales, with the automotive segment representing $37 billion of that total.

Avoid Marital Stress. Replace Wiper Blades

Ladies, do the men in your life procrastinate when it’s time to replace windshield wiper blades? Are you tired of nagging about smearing, screeching and chattering wiper blades? Do you dread another rainy Sunday drive, feeling unsafe without the benefit of an unobstructed view of the road?

Don’t tolerate it any longer. Act now to preserve peace and promote safety. Buy a set of wiper blades and install them yourself. It takes only a few minutes, says the Car Care Council. Simple directions are right on the box. Before you begin, here are two suggestions from the council:

Your Car Looks Like New. What’s Your Secret?

“It looks like new! I would have never guessed that car was eight years old.”

That is what we owners want to hear, but keeping our cars looking like the late models is tough, even with today’s long-lasting finishes. Dents, dings and cracked glass are several items that age the appearance of a vehicle. Fortunately, technology has helped advance the solutions to these problems, making the fixes quicker and less expensive. With mobile repair units, these items often can be repaired on site at your home or work, adding to the convenience.

High Water Headaches

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), floods are one of the most common and widespread of all disasters. Most communities in the United States have experienced some level of flooding from high water due to spring rains, heavy thunderstorms or winter snow thaws. While your vehicle may not have been flooded or completely covered in water, that doesn't necessarily mean that you should not be concerned about water damage. If you drove through high water, there's a chance that you may have damaged your vehicle.

When a Split Second Counts

Picture yourself driving 500 miles at more than 200 miles an hour, under the most stressful conditions, never knowing what you might have to avoid in the next fraction of a second. That goes with the territory in the NASCAR racing circuit.

Compare this to your own driving. How much time would you need to deal with a road emergency? At 60 miles an hour, that’s 66 feet per second, you’ve already gone about 60 feet since you began reading this sentence.

The Road to a Long-Lasting Automobile

Auto technicians say the key to keeping vehicles running well-today and down the road-is routine maintenance. Yet many drivers tend to stall when it comes to keeping up with some everyday auto-basics.

A recent survey by the Car Care Council found:

Stress Management Works for Holidays and Automobiles

In domino fashion, failing to plan for maintenance can turn small problems into larger ones, putting a serious dent in your automotive budget. The penalties of procrastinating on vehicle maintenance range from a heater that runs cold to a battery that won’t start the car.

Take care of your car’s seasonal services immediately and make plans to get ahead of the game next year. An early visit to your repair facility provides the opportunity to budget for unanticipated repairs. The Car Care Council offers the following checklist:

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