5 Ways to Green Your Car For Under 25 Dollars

Most people think that in order to make their car run cleaner, they have to go out and buy a hybrid. This is not the case. There are fundamental and cheap changes that can be made to your car that will cause it to run greener. Here are some suggestions.

1. Pump up your tires: This is an obvious one, but it is also a very cheap way to increase fuel efficiency.

Cost: A tire gauge costs about ten dollars.

2. Clean your air filter: Use your owner's manual to find your air filter. Once found, unscrew the filter's housing. Remove the filter from your car. Use a vacuum cleaner to rid it of dirt. Put it back in your car. Get 7 percent more per gallon. Simple as that.

Cost: The electricity to power the vacuum. You can also buy new cotton air filters for under 100 dollars.

3. Replace your old spark plugs with eco-friendly ones: The Halo spark plug claims to reduce gas mileage by ten percent and toxic fumes by twenty percent. Consult your owner's manual before you replace your spark plugs. Replacing your spark plugs is something that anyone can do, but it is very important to follow the instructions in your owner's manual. Every car is different, and there are hazards that you must be aware of.

Cost: $8.99 per plug.

4. Clean out your car: The heavier your car a car is the more gas that it takes to move. Remove non-essential items from your car.

Cost: Your time.

5. Insulate your car battery: A car battery is a little box full of nasty chemicals. You want those nasty chemicals to remain useful as long as possible. By insulating your car battery, you can sustain the life of you car battery. Car battery insulation is easily installed. It's put on the battery like tinfoil, and the stuff can be found at most automotive stores.

Cost: Around 25 dollars

Article courtesy of: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/vehicle-maintenance/green-carunder-hundreddollars.htm

Safe driving tips for Thanksgiving travel

Planning to hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday to visit with family and friend? You won’t be alone. The AAA forecasts 42.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, marking a 4-percent increase over last year. Before you embark, consider these tips to help prepare you and your car for whatever challenges might be faced on the road.

1. Fuel up. Don’t head out on a long trip without a full tank of gas. In addition to topping off the tank, also check fluids and tire pressures before you leave.

2. Be prepared. Bring supplies in the event of an accident or medical issue. Stock your car with an emergency kit—especially a flashlight, blanket, first-aid kit, and some basic tools. Also, bring water and extra snacks, just in case.

3. Pack smart. Check your vehicle’s load capacity to make sure you aren’t putting too much weight in the car. On most new cars, the total weight you can carry is printed on a placard (sticker) inside the driver’s door jamb. This load rating includes all the passengers and cargo. Also, make sure your gear is packed properly and will not be a hazard if you stop short.

4. Track it. A portable GPS navigation system will help you get where you’re going, making it easy to find gas stations or restaurants along the way. Traffic-enabled devices can warn of roadway congestion, and all units can assist in finding an alternate route. Also, a navigator can help direct emergency services to your location, should something happen. (See "Video: Don't let a GPS navigator steer you wrong.")

5. Kid prep. If you’re driving with kids, make sure you pack enough snacks, water, games, videos/DVDs, and music to keep them occupied during your journey. (See our "10 tips for a stress-free road trip with kids" for more advice.)

6. Traveling with pets. Be sure to secure your pets, either with harnesses and seat belts or by placing them in a crate. Animals can be a dangerous distraction when driving and physical threat in an accident, should they travel about the cabin or escape onto a busy motorway. Bring water, food, toys, leash, and clean-up supplies—you never know.

7. Be patient. During busy travel times, expect to hit traffic. It may make sense to drive late at night or early in the morning to avoid the rush and ensure you get to your destination on time and with minimal stress. A GPS device with traffic information and an exit guide can help you navigate around congestion and help find desired pit stop locations.

8. Don’t be distracted. Cell phones and driving don’t mix, so if you need to send a message or make a call, hand your phone to a passenger or pull over. It’s not worth risking your life or others on the road.

9. Buckle up. Always use your seat belt, make sure children are properly secured in a car seat and are seated in the rear seats if they are under 13.

10. Watch for weather. If you’re driving in wintry weather, make sure you clear off the snow and ice for better visibility, allow for longer braking distances, and reduce your speed. (Check out our winter driving guide if you are headed to a snowy location.)

11. Keep control. There could be a variety of scenarios on the road, but if you stay calm and be prepared you can get through any challenge. Check out our story “Surviving the worst-case scenarios” for more on driving in fog, snow, or if you car has brake failure, overheats, or your tire blows out.

And finally, be safe and patient. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Article courtesy of: http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/11/safe-driving-tips-for-thanksgiving-2011-travel.html

10 Things Teens Should Know About Cars and Driving

When a teenager gets a driver license, it signifies freedom and the lure of the open road. But with this newfound freedom comes a host of new situations and possible problems that most teen drivers have never encountered before. It's a good idea to review these scenarios with new drivers in your family, and discuss how to handle them before they happen for real.

From traffic stops to road rage, here's a primer on what you need to tell teen drivers as they take to the roads.

1. What to do when you're stopped by a police officer
Safely pull to the side of the road, turn off your car, roll down the window and keep your hands visible. Don't make any sudden moves or argue with the officer. Do your arguing in traffic court.

2. How to deal with a flat tire
Pull completely off the road, even if it means destroying the tire. Call roadside assistance and let that person change the tire. If you have a spare (many cars now only have an inflation kit) and know how to change the tire, make sure you are out of traffic and in plain sight of oncoming traffic before changing it yourself.

3. What to do when the "check engine" light comes on
If there is any change in the car's performance, any mechanical noises, smoke from the tailpipe or electrical smells, stop the car and call for assistance. If there are none of these symptoms, take the car to a dealer and let them diagnose the problem. However, if you just bought gas, the light might just be indicating that the gas cap is loose. Tighten the cap and continue driving. The light should go off on its own.

4. How to deal with a friend who is about to drive under the influence
Don't get in the car. Do anything not to drive with an intoxicated person, and that includes calling your parents for a lift or paying for a taxi. Your next move is to try to prevent your drunken friend from hurting themselves or someone else.

5. How to drive safely while talking on a cell phone
Most states ban all cell phone use by novice drivers, so be sure you know if these provisions apply where you live. If it's permissible to use a cell, always use a hands-free device so you can keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Learn how to pair your phone with the car's Bluetooth system. Don't even think about texting while driving (no, not even at stoplights).

6. How to get an honest quote for an automotive repair
Search Edmunds.com's Car Maintenance Guide or the Web to get an estimate for how much the repair should cost. Search online for garages with high customer ratings and ask friends for recommended garages. Call the garage and ask for a ballpark estimate and let the garage know you are contacting other places for their best quote. Use your intuition to make the final decision on whom to trust.

7. How to buy a new car
Don't just wander onto a dealership's car lot. Instead, contact the Internet department of several dealerships to get multiple quotes and compare these with Edmunds.com's True Market Value^®price for any car you're interested in. Make sure you check incentives and rebates. Follow up with phone calls to the Internet managers of these dealerships to verify the terms of their offers. Finally, ask the dealership to deliver the car to your home or office to avoid the hard sell in the finance and insurance office.

8. What to do after an auto accident
If the car is drivable and there are no serious injuries, turn on your flashers and pull safely out of traffic. Call the police to report the accident. Exchange insurance information with the other driver but refrain from discussing the accident and who is at fault. Make notes and use your cell phone's camera to take pictures of the cars involved.

9. How to drive in rain and snow
Reduce your speed and leave more room between your vehicle and those in front of you. Understand how to handle skids. If possible, practice reacting to skidding in safe conditions, such as a snow-covered empty parking lot. Understand that a car might hydroplane on a rain puddle on the road and learn how to react to driving with reduced traction and visibility.

10. How to avoid road rage situations
Understand the severe consequences to you, your car and your driving record when minor disagreements escalate to life-threatening situations. When someone offends you, take a deep breath and know that your anger will dissolve in minutes. Don't anger other drivers by cutting them off or tailgating. If you've inadvertently angered another driver, don't get drawn into interacting with them. Ignore them or, if necessary, change your route. Finally, repeat this phrase: It's just not worth it.

Read more: http://www.edmunds.com/driving-tips/10-things-teens-should-know-about-cars-and-driving.html

How to Protect Your Car’s Interior

Try to add up the hours you spend in your car. It’s a lot, isn’t it? Commutes, errand runs and road trips can have you sitting in those bucket seats for hours on end, and during that time, you and your passengers are actually living in the interior. That means smudges on the windows, scratches on the dash and food in the seat crevices accumulate and leave you wondering what happened to the spotless interior you swear it had when you first bought the car.

A Quick Clean

Luckily, it’s not that difficult to keep a car’s cabin from looking a little too, well, lived in. First things first, get something to stuff your trash into. Just use a plastic bag or a container you don’t use around the house and throw it in the backseat. You can even affix a temporary hook to the door or seat to keep things even neater. Every once and awhile, take it out and relish in the fact that you haven’t spent an hour cleaning up. Keeping trash off the floor also preserves your carpets, which can get stained from any number of items.

The idea of taking a rag to your dash and leather seats is made easier if you have them on-hand. The key here is to just use a little bit of soapy water to wipe the surfaces of your car – some cleaning products contain alcohols that prematurely dry and age the materials by reducing the flexibility in the vinyl. Store a small spray bottle of your homemade cleaning fluid and a rag under your seat or in a storage bin for access when you’re waiting for your kids to get out of school or sitting in that crazy-long drive-through line. This will also come in handy when an emergency spill happens. Lastly, keep your car smelling like roses (or at least a laundromat) by adding dryer sheets under the seats.

Weather Resistant
You can’t discount the impact weather has on your vehicle either. In summer, sandy feet can quickly make a mess of an interior, and dare we mention the destruction caused by mud and snow? If you spend a lot of time ducking in and out of the elements, you might want to grab some all-weather floor mats. They’re easy to clean and do a great job of keeping the muck in one place.

The sun’s rays can also wreak havoc on your car’s surfaces, causing vinyl to crack over time and materials to fade. A simple solution is to regularly put a sunshade on the windshield. They’re inexpensive and help to keep your interior looking new.

Saving money on repair work and cleaning comes more easily when you take the time to make preventative care a priority. Not only will these tricks make your car a nicer place to be, keeping grime out of your ride will cut down on large maintenance costs in the future and will help to retain its value over time