Blog

Tax time is here and you are looking at getting a decent chunk of change on your return. You start thinking about all the things you can buy with your return, but then your concentration is broken by the sound of your old hooptie quietly rusting in the driveway. Though it is not pretty, it has gotten you to work safely (*knock on wood), gotten the kids to practice, and even made a few trips to the beach. The old grocery-getter has seen better days; you keep a pair of well used jumper cables in the back seat, and duct tape is keeping the rear-view mirror from falling off in traffic. It is possible that you are thinking of adding auto repair to your resume of skills! Uncle Sam’s refund will be enough to cover replacing it outright, but there is a certain charm to your whip that you don’t want to part with. So, the question remains, replace or repair.

Walking into a used car lot, or searching through ads on the local classified listings can be an exhausting experience. You often don’t know much about the care that was taken by the previous owner, and you do not know what work needs to be done. Here is a simple used car checklist of things to look for when you are buying a used car. 

Pets are part of the family. They keep us company on the couch when watching movies, but sometimes we want to share the outside world with them. Just like bringing a baby along for a trip, there are certain things we need to consider when traveling with pets. The considerations increase when we are planning to take them for longer rides or overnight. Here are a few things to think about when bringing your furry friend out with you!

Pets are family too, and we love bringing our dogs wherever we go. Whether it’s just a trip to the hardware store, or a cross country galivant, car safety for dogs should be a priority. Your pup should be just as safe in your car as you are. Here are four tested and well regarded ways to keep your dog safe while traveling with you.

Let’s face it; your car never breaks down on a gorgeous afternoon next to a nice restaurant and repair shop. The odds are that you broke down in the middle of nowhere on a freeway where nobody wants to stop, the nearest exit is 12 miles in either direction, it is 38 degrees and raining, and your cell service is intermittent. Now that Old Man Winter has shown his face, it is time to check your emergency gear before you find yourself shivering on the side of the road. Winter survival gear can save your life!

Fortunately for folks in Hampton Roads, significant and long term snowfall is not the norm in our area. But, just because you don't need to slap on a set of snow tires for the winter doesn't mean that tires should be ignored or that there aren't other vehicle winterizing routines that you should be doing. Winter is coming.... are you prepared?

Nothing could be more important to your automotive safety than where the rubber meets the road. Just like your shoes wear out from walking, your tires wear down every time you drive. Some tires are constructed of more durable materials, and not every type of tire wears down for the same reasons. Age, exposure to UV rays, and of course, mileage, will all take their toll on how your tires handle the highway speeds and turns that you likely go through every day. Here are some tips on ensuring that your tires are ready for everything that you will put them through.

We are going to admit that this blog was going to be about new hands free technology for using your phone while driving. There are many speech to text apps, Bluetooth speakers and hands free carriers that can help someone who wants to use their phone while driving. While conducting our research, we noticed how many facts point to the dangers of using these products, and the facts of distracted driving in general. Rather than promoting these products, we feel it is far more important to present this information to you.

When we think about renting a car, we usually think about something that is done for business trips, or when you fly somewhere for a holiday. While these are, of course, great times to rent a car, it’s not the only time that renting a car should be a consideration. Rental cars are a great idea for so many other occasions! Car rental deals make it easy and affordable to rent for any number of reasons, here are our favorite five!

It’s time to trade in the old ride, so you’re doing everything you can to make your car look good for that trade-in value. You have excavated 4 years’ worth of drive thru bags out of the back seat, you’ve steam cleaned the seat where your dog has laid for every trip, you’ve washed it, and you’ve even polished and waxed the outside. You might have even bought a bottle of snake oil from the auto parts store in hopes of making that knocking sound go away, if only long enough to get the car traded. So, you pull up to the lot, start talking to the salesman and he wants to see your trade. He steps out and looks at it, you know he knows that you’ve spent time making it look trade-worthy, and the first thing out of his mouth is, “Yeah, those tires are looking pretty rough. Mmhmm. Lots of tire tread wear there.” Arrrgh!