Valentines inspired car!

Waxing

Over time, say detailers, oxidation — which occurs when heat and oxygen combine — will break down even the highest quality vehicle paint. Therefore, it’s important to keep your car clean and to apply wax at least twice a year. The pros suggest increasing the frequency of waxing to three or four times a year if you live in a place that receives intense sun exposure or where road salt is used. If you have the time and energy to wax your vehicle yourself, the pros recommend that you make sure it’s freshly washed, rinsed and allowed to thoroughly dry. Apply a thin layer of wax, buff off the excess, and repeat. Don’t over-apply, detailers warn, because a thin application will bond and cure better.

Multi-tasking

While women, especially moms, are excellent at multitasking, no one should attempt to do too much while driving. We’ve all done it in the car — putting on mascara on the way to work, eating a burger because there’s no time to stop, etc. But, these seemingly harmless acts are distracting and can potentially lead to a crash. Pull over on the side of the road to apply make-up, check a map or anything else that diverts your attention away from the road. In the bigger scheme of things, all of these little tasks can wait until you’ve reached your destination.

Oil Changes

Oil lubricates the moving parts of your engine. It keeps them cool by lowering friction and carrying heat away. It also keeps any grit or tiny particles from scratching tightly-fitted parts. Heat breaks down oil. It can make the oil gummy or watery (or both), so that it doesn't lubricate properly. And the longer it's in the engine, the dirtier it gets. Replacing old oil with new fixes all these problems. The fresh oil lubricates and cools better. When you flush the old oil out, you also flush away any grit or dirt in it. Getting your oil changed regularly is probably the single best thing you can do for your engine. To reduce repairs and improve performance, follow your manufacturer's oil change recommendations listed in your owner's manual.

Air Pressure

The Benefits of Correct Air Pressure: Experts agree that keeping the correct air pressure in your tires is as important as giving your engine a tune-up. In fact, the economic benefits may be even greater. With the right amount of air pressure, your tires wear longer, save fuel, enhance handling, and prevent accidents. Failure to maintain the correct air pressure can result in poor gas mileage, reduce tire life, affect vehicle handling, and cause vehicle overloading. If you consider these factors, then the need to routinely check your tire pressure is even clearer.

Tip #1

 

Checking/changing your vehicle's engine oil is one of the most important services you can do for your vehicle. Today's engines with VVT technology require oil presssure to advance and retard the engine's valve timing. This system relies on your vehicle's oil system to be in top notch shape. Using approved oil by the manufactor and servicing your vehicle every 3-5,000 miles insures your oil system stays in top shape. With the stop and go driving your vehicle endures in the DC area we do not recommend going past 5,000 miles even with synthetic. 3,000 miles with regular oil.