Fall Foliage Tour of Southeast Wisconsin and Chicago

The start of summer is just days away, and we’re getting ready for all of the adventures and excitement!  Join us in learning how to best prepare your car for the ultimate road trip getaway, so you can be safe, on the ball, and ready for whatever the road throws your way.  From service pointers to must-have organizers to safety gear, we’ve got you covered. more Must Check Automotive Service Points Before Your Next Road Trip Check your battery. Dead batteries are the worst!  There is no worse feeling than being halfway to your destination at a rest stop with a car that just won’t start.  Get your battery checked out by your local service center, and ensure that it is properly conditioned, especially if it’s older than 2 years. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure the connectors are showing no signs of corrosion and the connection is tight. Your trusted service technician can also help you clean the corrosion if you notice any. Have your brakes inspected. Have your service technician give the brakes system a good once-over. If you’ve noticed any squealing or squeaking or whistling sounds coming from your vehicle’s brakes, it may be a sign that parts are wearing down and in need of replacement soon. Make sure that any odd noises are examined by your mechanic, and serviced prior to embarking on your journey. If your brake pedal feels spongy or soft when depressed, it may indicate low brake fluid.  If you’re noticing longer stopping times, you may need new brake pads. Check the fluid levels. Be sure to check all of the vital fluids in your vehicle including the engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, engine coolant, and wiper fluids.  If you’re just about due for an oil change, go ahead and get that scheduled a little earlier prior to your trip. It’s better to be safe than sorry! Clean and change your filters. If you’re getting an oil change that filter will be swapped out at the same time. You’ll also want to check the engine filter and air filter while you’re there. Test all lights and signals and change bulbs as needed. With all the driving you’re about to do, especially if part of your journey will be at night or during inclement weather, it’s vital to make sure they’re fully functioning for visibility and safety. Plus, you don’t want to receive any unnecessary traffic tickets for dysfunctional turn signals or brake lights.  Check the interior lights as well and replace those bulbs as needed. Change your wiper blades. On average you should be replacing your wipers every 6 months, but it would at least be a good idea to replace them before your trip if you haven’t done so in a while.  Select wipers that have an aid of hydrophobic coating to aid even clearer visibility during rain and misty weather. Check your insurance, license, and registration. Don’t get caught without proper paperwork on hand! Ensure that you’ve renewed your license, printed or received your newest up to date insurance cards, and have renewed your vehicle registration and all paperwork is stowed safely in your glovebox or center console.  We also recommend checking if your insurance provider has a phone or tablet app available as those can come in handy in a pinch! Be Prepared for roadside emergencies. Stock your emergency roadside kit. We’ve already covered car emergency kits and roadside assistance in previous blogs, but here’s a short refresher of our recommended necessities. At bare minimum, you should always have the following in your car when traveling long distances: a solar or hand-cranked flashlight; jumper cables; portable battery packs; hand sanitizer and flushable wipes; a tire patch kit and portable air compressor; paper copies of maps for each of your destination regions; flares or LED warning lights; bottled water and shelf stable snacks (protein bars and granola bars are a great option);emergency contact numbers written on a piece of paper in your glovebox or wallet or stowed in your emergency kit; a basic first aid kit. Travel with charging options. Grabbing a few extra USB cables or wireless chargers is a great idea.  Make sure you have portable batteries and their recharging cables as well.  Additional wall connector bricks are another key option. Keep one in your glovebox with a charge cable, and one in your backpack or purse or other luggage.  We also recommend a portable smartphone mount for hands-free navigation and emergency use. Take advantage of fueling stations along your route whenever possible. There’s nothing more nerve wracking than being caught in stop-and-go traffic and having the fuel light tick on, especially if you’re not sure when the next rest stop is or nearest fueling station!  Ensuring that you’re traveling with no less than ½ a tank of gas at all times can give you a very good buffer for emergencies and unexpected delays. When traveling on highways and byways and especially in unfamiliar areas, it’s always best to top off your tank when you have the opportunity. You never know when you may hit a snarl of traffic, unexpected detour, or may even miss a GPS direction and take a wrong turn. Remember to pack your medications and OTC pain relief and emergency medications. When traveling, remember to keep your vital medications and inhalers on your person. Make sure your travel companions know where to find them and how to access an emergency list of medications if needed.  If you use an Epi Pen, bring that with you and ensure everyone knows how to use it in case. Additionally, Benadryl is a great medication to travel with in case of surprise allergic reactions. Travel with all the necessities and creature comforts. You’ll never go wrong with packing a few extra rolls of toilet paper along with wet wipes. Heaven forbid the bathroom is understocked, or you have to make an emergency roadside pit stop.  A portable toothbrush and toothpaste and some anti-nausea medication can relieve motion sickness.  Reusable camping utensils and portable plates/cups are always a help!  Along with a cooler filled with fresh fruit, premade lunch items, and other fresh snacks to save you time and money from making pit stops.  A small travel pillow and blanket will come in handy if you need to take a catnap or swap off with another driver for some rest.  If you’re traveling with pets, we recommend quick-dry towels, a spare leash and collar, portable collapsible pet bowls, a portable litter box (if applicable) and some spare snacks. What do you like to bring as a road trip essential?  What are your go-to emergency kit items in your experience? Let us know in the comments on our social media!

We’re back with some more helpful service tips for winter weather driving!  It’s essential to prepare for wintry conditions and hazards of inclement weather.  Our handy guide is chock full of reminders and pointers to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape for chilly temps and then some. more Make sure you have a winter emergency kit stocked up and ready to go. In a bin, box, or duffel bag we recommend keeping the following on hand in your trunk or backseat: thermal blankets and fleece blankets, a clean set of warm clothes, extra winter hats & gloves, kitty litter and/or small container of rock salt, a small portable or foldable snow shovel, flares, hand-crank LED flashlight or LED lantern, hand warmer packets, jumper cables, a fully stocked first aid kit, an ice scraper and snow brush, and a tow rope. These can all help you should your vehicle become stuck in any ice or encounter any other inclement weather related accident. Check your front and rear brakes, emergency brake, and brake light system.  Do not skimp on this checkpoint. A  good solid set of brakes and quality rotors can be the difference between a safe stop and total decimation of your vehicle and serious injuries.  It is important to make sure that your braking system and brake light are in perfect working order before you’re faced with a split second decision to swerve, stop short, or avoid dangerous snowbanks or black ice.  If you hear any sort of scraping, whining, or squealing when you brake, bring your car in for a service call straight away. Check your tires.  Check your tire pressure and make sure the PSI matches the manufacturer requirements (can be located in your manual or on a label on the side door pockets or frame.)  Look for signs of wear and tear such as bulges and bubbles, cracks or small tears, or significant tread wear leaving bald spots.  Consider rotating your tires if you’ve not done it in awhile.  Any damaged tires should be replaced, and any summer tires swapped out for all-weather or winter tires should be considered if you live in an area that gets particularly rough winter weather! Inspect your wiper blades and ensure they are clean and not showing significant signs of wear.  As the weather gets colder, it’s vital to your safety that you have properly working wiper blades to clear away frost and snow or other inclement weather. Before it gets too cold out, consider applying a thorough application of a water-repellant such as RainX to the glass surfaces on your vehicle to aid in visibility during storms. Check your heater and blower.  It’s important to check the defroster and heat blower functionality, as these two elements must be functioning properly to ensure wiper efficiency and clear visibility.  When cars are iced or frosty, gradually warming the window to loosen the ice before scraping can save you from windshield damage and scratches. Additionally, it can save you time by melting the frost and ice as well as bringing your car to a comfortable temperature for driving.  If you become stranded or broken down for an extended period of time, the heat can also keep you safe and comfortable. Check your car battery.  Colder months mean we’re more apt to leave our car running to “warm it up” so we don’t face a frosty morning commute, but this also means a higher potential for draining the battery through accidental means.  Cold weather can put additional stress on your battery, and can cause it to lose around 20-30% of its charge when the weather hits 32 degrees.  If a vehicle is going into or coming out of storage, the battery should definitely be checked and replaced as they do lose charge while sitting. Clean your headlights and replace any dim or broken bulbs.  There is nothing more frightening than encountering a white-out storm or horizontal icy rains and not benign able to see more than 2 feet ahead of you.  Having bright, clear headlights is going to make all the difference in getting where you’re going safely and in one piece.  Be sure to apply a headlight cleaner and swap out your bulbs for bright clear ones if yours are not up to par. If you’ve got any questions about vehicle maintenance or wish to schedule a service appointment, please reach out to our representatives.  We would be happy to get your vehicle winter-weather ready!

Today is National Dash Cam Day!  We’re here to help shine a light on one of the most important new tools to enhance safety and security for all vehicles and all drivers.  Give yourself more peace of mind in the event of an accident, reduce the chances of theft, and even potentially lower your car insurance premium thanks to added protection. more This tiny camera can be mounted on the windshield or dashboard of your vehicle, and the rear windows.  Dash cams are a wonderful piece of technology that can help accurately report damage during collisions by serving as a witness with record, improves your driving skills, and can upload footage to the cloud for later use as needed. It’s also a great way to protect younger drivers by having an “extra set of eyes” when you can’t be there as a parent to monitor them. Basic models will record the road, mid-range models offer additional protecting like parking monitoring, and higher level options can do all of that and more! Check out our picks for some options to fit just about every need and budget. The Dual Dash Cam Front and Inside 1080P Camera for $59.99 on Amazon has Infrared Night Vision and dual mounting options.  It’s great for drivers who spend a lot of time on the road after dark, and also great for monitoring your car if you use street parking.  In addition, it has features that trigger the camera recording if your car is hit while parked. LAMTTO’s Mirror Dash Cam with Front and Rear Dual Camera and Parking Assistant is another great budget friendly feature on our list today. At just $69.99 on Amazon at the time of posting this, it’s a fantastic entry level model to increase your safety and security without breakin the bank. The Nextbase 222 Dash Cam is available for $90 at Walmart and it has 1080P HD capabilities, and enhanced tech for both daytime and nighttime recording. It’s compact design makes it convenient to place anywhere to monitor your car both on and off the road.  It’s got a low-profile design and high-strength magnets for easy installation that stays out of your eyesight. Car and DRiver’s Dash Cam Road Patrol Dual FHD 1080P Cameras have a Sony sensor, night vision, GPS and more.  The convenient and clear OLED touch screen makes it easy to change settings, view footage, and navigate menu options.  It will keep your car safe on and off the road with Drivesmart Alert System for enhanced driver safety, and parking mode which starts recording as soon as it detects a collision. The Garmin Dash Cam 47 at Best Buy for $169.99 may not be the highest quality camera on the market, but it’s got clear visuals, an easy app interface, it’s simple to install and use, and it’s a great value for the dollar! The Thinkware U1000 Wi-Fi Dash Cam with 32GBS memory card and Rear View Camera is the top tier price point on our list, but it's worth it. With 4K UHD Dash Cam Resolution, Low-Light 30FPS Recording potential, a built-in GPS tracker with microphone and speaker, and the Thinkware Cloud App for iOS and Android, it’s the best of the best right now on the market. It also includes driver assistance features such as forward collision, lane departure, and other safety features. Check out this video from CNET on Choosing a Dash Cam for your car: