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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!

You have been driving your car for a few years, and it is getting time to trade it in before the mechanical issues start. We have all been there. You do a once over on your old ride and you know you are not going to get anything near what you want because it looks like it has been through a few wars. You know you should have taken it in for regular washings, but it is a little too late for that. Your mind wanders off to those old commercials with the old guy screaming about how he will paint any car for a hundred bucks, but these days that service costs a bit more and it is out of your budget for a car that you are trading in. You could take your trade-in vehicle to a professional car paint restoration company, but that service is also cost-prohibitive. So, what do you do? You can easily restore the finish on your car or truck if you are willing to give up a few hours to give your car a new looking finish, increasing your trade value by hundreds of dollars. You can restore car paint to a showroom shine in just a few hours of your weekend.

Road conditions and summer’s bright sun are the enemies of your headlight covers. Over time, the finish on your car’s headlamp deteriorates and degrades, leaving the lens cloudy, and your lights dim. Not only is it harder for you to see in the dark, but it also makes you less visible to other drivers and pedestrians. There are several ways to fix this problem. The most expensive, yet possibly most effective way is to trade your car in at the dealer and get a newer car altogether.

If your vehicles brakes are sounding like a screeching Banshee when you apply pressure to the pedal, then your vehicle is likely trying to tell you it's time to give your brakes some much needed attention.

Most cars today utilize a 4-wheel disc brake system but some vehicles on the road still use a combination of the drum brake style on the rear and disc on the front.

It’s almost time to take your ghouls and goblins out for trick or treating! That’s right, it’s time for Halloween! For those of us who grew up in small neighborhoods, we probably didn’t see the amount of traffic that is on the roads today. Nor did we have quite so many safety concerns. In our modern times, however, it’s important to be vigilant when roaming around in the dark with our kiddies. Here are a 10 Du-Man tips for making sure that your night is as safe and fun as possible.