It’s Summer!! It’s time to go camping, start traveling, towing your boat, you name it. You’re going to have fun. Well you want to save money on gas don’t you? Check out these tips from USA Today. The biggest one for me to remember will be the lead foot. I’m always in a hurry to get somewhere when I know I should slow down, enjoy the scenery, and save gas money!
AutoMD.com is offering five simple steps to save gas for summer driving. Makes sense to us. The one they don’t list as one of the five, but one that tiremakers like Michelin underscore over and over, is to make sure your tires are properly inflated. Michelin cites the Transportation Department as saying 5 million gallons of fuel are wasted nationwide every day from underinflated tires.
So, summer vacationers, here you go. Some of these AutoMD.com tips are illuminating:
Cruise, Don’t Speed. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 miles per hour is like paying an additional 24 cents per gallon for gas. Take advantage of cruise control to smooth out your throttling and keep your speed steady and fuel-efficient (but only on flat terrain – if you are driving hills, skip the cruise control and keep the speed down).
Lighten the Lead Foot. Rapid acceleration and braking can increase fuel burn by as much as 40% and makes toxic emissions five times higher – remember that a significant percentage of the energy needed to power your vehicle is burned up in acceleration. Slowly increasing your speed and leaving more room to slow down while braking will reduce your fuel burn and improve your gas mileage.
Avoid Idling. Turn off your engine if you are stopped for more than 30 seconds. When you idle your engine, you are getting no MPG, adding to pollution and wasting money. Two minutes of idling uses up 1 mile of gasoline, and 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it.
Remove Excess Weight. Your car is not a storage unit! An extra 100 pounds can reduce fuel economy by 1% to 2%.
Turn on the Ventilator. And turn off the air conditioning and roll up the windows, if you can. The most efficient air is the air that comes in through your flow-through ventilator. Air conditioning or open windows (because of the drag) make your vehicle less fuel-efficient. But, for hot summer drives, turn off your AC and roll down your windows when driving around the neighborhood or in city traffic, and do exactly the opposite on the highway – driving fast with the windows open can burn more fuel than AC.
I can not stress enough how important it is to make sure that you get your oil changed regularly and on time. Bad or dirty oil is bad for your engine. Your engine will run a whole lot better with fresh clean oil. Did you know that getting and oil analysis could tell you if you have any maintenance issues? Well it can. Edmunds.com has put together this story on how you can get your oil analyzed in your new or used car and find out if it’s trying to tell you something. This is great information!
Analyzing the oil in your car is like sending a sample of your blood to the lab — it reveals an astonishing amount of information about the inner workings of your engine without invasive surgery. By reading the results of the analysis, you can fine-tune the intervals between oil changes and discover problems — such as a leaking head gasket — before they cause more expensive damage.
You might even consider analyzing the oil from a car you are considering buying. Currently this is popular with airplane, boat and heavy equipment buyers, but at least one company may soon offer this as an option for used car shoppers as well.
Test-Driving Oil Analysis
We sent two samples of engine oil to Blackstone Laboratories in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to see what we could learn about a 2000 Mitsubishi Galant with 80,000 miles on its four-cylinder engine. The first sample was oil that had been used for 3,000 miles. The second sample was taken right after an oil change at a Jiffy Lube.
The 3,000-mile oil still had plenty of life left in it, according to the lab results. Blackstone recommended we try increasing the oil change interval to 5,000 miles and send another sample for analysis at that point. Furthermore, the report said the wear metals in the oil were within normal levels, meaning that the engine was not in immediate danger of breaking down. By detecting specific wear metals in the oil, experts can tell which engine parts might be in danger of malfunctioning.
Since the purpose of oil is to lubricate, clean and cool the engine, a TBN (total base number) is used to measure the deterioration of the oil by assigning a number that is usually between 0 and 8. The TBN of the 3,000-mile oil was 3.7. The Jiffy Lube oil was 7.6 indicating it had been barely used.
“Even if the TBN is 1, it doesn’t mean the oil isn’t doing its job,” said Ryan Stark, president of Blackstone Laboratories. “But it does reveal the rate at which the additives are being used up.”
Oil Analysis, a Growing Business
Stark said that his company, which employs six analysts, gets about 20 new customers a day and does between 40,000 and 50,000 reports per year. A single analysis costs $22.50 but discounts are available for multiple analyses. Blackstone can also analyze transmission fluid and other engine fluids to look for possible problems.
Many other laboratories offer engine oil analysis, but Blackstone’s reports are user-friendly, and the turnaround is quick. Within days of our mailing in two 4-ounce samples, the results were e-mailed to us.
“We’ve had customers who were changing their oil every 3,000 miles and now they’ve gone to every 10,000 miles because of our reports,” said Stark. “But we’re conservative. If the oil looks good at 3,000 miles we recommend increasing the frequency by 2,000 miles and taking another look at it.”
A Used-Car Buying Tool?
A Long Beach, California, company that provides pre-purchase inspections for private parties is breaking new ground by planning to offer engine oil analysis to private-party used car buyers.
“With an oil sample test, which essentially is the DNA of a car’s engine and transmission, we can detect any excessive conditions that can lead to serious mechanical problems down the road,” said Alliance Inspection Management Vice President of Sales Eric Widmer.
If the oil sample result meets industry standards, a limited warranty will be offered to the buyer. Edmer said this was the first time an inspection service has used this method to qualify a buyer for a warranty. It would, Edmer points out, provide a level of confidence for used-car buyers shopping for a reliable car.
Stark said that some of Blackstone’s customers have sent samples from cars they were considering buying but it’s far more common practice with buyers of airplanes, boats, motorcycles or even jet skis.
How To Take an Engine Oil Sample
We took the Mitsubishi samples by sliding under the car, unscrewing the oil filter and draining the oil into a glass jar. The jar was sealed securely, wrapped in padding and Fed Exed to Blackstone.
Taking a sample in this manner is messy, and you can burn your hand on the hot oil filter. Instead, you’ll want to use a vacuum pump that takes a sample through the dipstick opening. Such a pump is available from Blackstone or other oil analysis labs.
Oil Analysis for Do-It-Yourselfers
Car owners who enjoy changing their own oil will find oil analysis an inexpensive test and easy to perform as part of engine maintenance. It helps consumers tailor their oil change intervals and experiment with the benefits of different oils such as synthetic blends. Furthermore, some people might try it as a used car shopping tool next time they are looking for a reliable car.
Then again, there is the pure love of knowledge that such a test provides. For a gearhead, that’s an end in itself. “For years and years no one knew when to change the oil, so they went with three months and 3,000 miles,” Stark said. “Now, we can provide a service that’s a good value to people so they really know what’s best for their engine.”
Well do you think this is something that you might like to try on your new or used car? I’d be interested to see what my oil says. It’s probably something along the lines of, “hey there not to bad at all.” You see, I am a maniac about getting my oil changed regularly.
Now this is one new show I am going to have to watch! There’s a new TV show on TLC which is going to highlight all of the bad drivers caught on camera. Wonder if they got me running my car into one of those yellows poles at McDonalds or the time I hit the curb and popped the two tires on the drivers side of my car! I sure hope not! Those were innocent accidents of course!
You know what TV producers love? Cheap, sensational content. That, incidentally, is the Internet’s number one export. Marry the two and you have TLC’s newest special: Out of Control Drivers. We’ll let you guess what the show’s about. If you’re a viral video junkie, you’ve likely seen a lot of these – maybe all of them – already. Still, this is can’t-avert-your-eyes stuff, as demonstrated in the two videos embedded after the jump.
The first promo is just a highlight-reel trailer for the show, designed to whet your overall appetite for vehicular mayhem. The second video is a full segment showing what happens when a sleeping driver takes an unplanned detour through a gas station. Spoiler alert: things get ugly. Fast. – AutoBlog
Check out these promo videos and check your local listings for show times.
Well, did you make these videos? I’m in the clear for now! ha ha.
Road trips… Some of us love them and some of us would rather fly. When I was a kid I hated going to road trips cause there weren’t DVD players, CD players or cell phones. So, I just sat in the back seat arguing with my brother and sister the whole way. Now a days they have plenty of things to keep kids entertained in the car on long road trips. I still love playing games though. We used to look at everyone’s license plates and see who was the furthest from their state. It may not have been a whole lot of fun but I am sure in my mother’s eyes it kept us entertained if even for only 20 minutes. The lovely people over at Edmunds.com have come up with a pretty good list of games you can take with you on your road trip. Hopefully when you are out and about with your family traveling in your new or used car you will remember these and help keep the boredom at bay! See if you remember any of these!
It never, ever fails: Within 30 minutes of stuffing the car to its gills with luggage and people for a getaway, you’re left wondering how you can get away from everyone’s complaints of boredom. And to think, only hours more to go! Despite popular in-car entertainment such as DVD players, truth be told, not everyone’s car is equipped to offer the convenience of penguins or Dora as a babysitter for the next 50, 100 or 200 miles.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of road trip games that don’t require any tools, paper or accessories beyond the open road. We have suggestions for passengers at every age level, although each game can be tweaked accordingly.
I Spy
Probably the classic make-time-go-by game of all time. One person looks around and chooses an object that the others have to guess, with their only clue being these words: “I spy with my little eye something that begins with (insert the first letter of the object’s name).” Or the clue can be the object’s color. The player who guesses the object gets to go next. The tricky part? It’s not fair to “spy” something that’s whizzing by the car at highway speeds. A landmark (mountain range, forest) that will be in the players’ view for a few minutes is best.
20 Questions
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” Only 18 more times to go! In 20 Questions, whomever goes first thinks of, well, anything. The first question is always, “Animal, vegetable or mineral?” After that, the players can ask pointed questions to try and guess — go around the car in a circle asking for clues such as, “Does it bark?” or “Can you peel it?” for example, although the answer to those questions can only be “yes” or “no.” If you reach the 20th question without a winner, everyone has one last chance to figure it out before the “thing” is revealed and another person starts a fresh round.
License Plates
There are many ways to play with license plates, depending on the age of your kids. Young participants can call out letters in alphabetical order; the first one to Z wins. Next, have them look for doubles — or better yet, triples! — of letters and/or numbers in the plates. The one who has the most at the end of the day/trip wins. Older kids can “collect” out-of-state plates they see. (Make it tougher by going in alphabetical order.) Or they can try to build words or phrases using the letter sequence in the plates. A plate with the letters E, F and T, for example, might become the word “effort” (using those letters to start the word, in the middle and at the end). Those could make “Ed’s Favorite Tacos” if you’re running with phrases.
Slug-a-Bug
The concept is that players keep track of how many Volkswagen Beetles they spot on the road. We’ve heard of variations in which the game is limited to New or vintage Beetles, or versions where the older Bugs are worth more. In the game’s original version you were supposed to punch your seat mate when you spotted a Bug, but most parents find that any game that involves hitting can get out of hand pretty quickly. So keep score some other way — tapping your seat mate, counting on your fingers (first to 10 wins) or something more in keeping with the Bug’s peaceful hippie history.
Where’s the Alphabet?
Perform this as teams or solo players. You’ll want to utilize road signs, billboards, shop names — any reading material outside the window qualifies as long as it’s spotted on your side of the car. (If you’re the front-seat passenger, focus on the right.) You’ll be looking for every letter of the alphabet, in alphabetical order, although the letter can be located anywhere in the word. Say there is a fruit stand with a sign for Granny Smith apples — there’s your A. The exit for the Brooklyn Bridge would cover B, Road Closed is C and so on. First one to the letter Z wins. If you see “Road Closed,” however, you’ll probably be happy to have the nine other games listed here.
Name That Tune
As with the classic TV game show, the winner here is the one who figures out the name of the “mystery song” first. For those with singing/whistling/humming talent, this can be as much karaoke as a guessing game. Choose a theme for the game, such as show tunes, movie or TV themes, or Justin Timberlake. (Good luck, adults.) The winner gets to be the singer for the next round. If no one can carry a tune in a bucket, then try guessing the songs on the radio. Really want to mix it up? Hit the “seek” button so no one gets an unfair advantage from sticking to one particular station’s format.
The Picnic Game
A memory builder for all ages. One player says, “I went to a picnic Saturday and I brought…” then says a picnic favorite that begins with the letter A, like apples. The next player repeats the opening phrase, and after “…I brought” they repeat the A item then add one that begins with B: “I brought an apple and some bananas.” The third player repeats the opener, the A and the B portions, and then adds something that begins with C. Get it? Can your travelers get through the alphabet, remembering all the items everyone contributed? Try keeping track of 23 items plusfiguring out what you can take to a picnic that starts with X!
Count the…
Probably even the most enthusiastic young’ns will catch on to this being busywork, but for awhile it’ll be all they’ll think about! And there is a bonus: Interest is likely to reignite on its own shortly after it stalls. Count the… can be anything: cows, telephone poles, headlights, train cars, blue pickup trucks — you name it. Shouting out the thing to keep track of is all that is required.
Tunnels
This one is simple: When you come to a tunnel, see who can hold their breath the longest. True, it may not be one best played by the driver (lightheadedness, anyone?), but everyone else can give it a go. We used to be amazed at our own skill at this as kids.
Geography Lesson
Geography is much more fun outside the classroom, isn’t it? For this game, choose countries, cities or states (or go nuts and try rivers and lakes or capitals). Let’s say your theme is states. The first player names a location, and the next player has to rattle off another state that starts with the last letter of the previous player’s state. Therefore, if it were Michigan, the next state would have to start with N, like Nebraska. The A could be Alaska, and so on. Note: This one makes our brain hurt.
Well do you remember any of these? Do you have any games that you played that didn’t make the list? Feel free to share them with me.
Thanks to Automotive Addicts I was able to come across this story. Could this possibly be the new Honda S2000? What do you think?
Here’s the story:
The rumor mill is spinning fast today as we discover that Honda may be coming out with a successor to the S2000 that will be a mid-engine RWD hybrid.
Reportedly patent filings in Japan by Honda suggest that the automaker is working on a new roadster spun off of the S2000. The patent application states that the car will use “an engine being fitted to a centre frame”. This suggests that the car will be mid-engine and rear wheel drive.
Some may think that this is the answer to when Honda canceled the NSX successor. Hopefully we will see a well balanced (near 50/50 weight distribution) mid-engine sports car that packs a good punch. Potentially it will use some variation of the current CR-Z’s powerplant coupled with an electric motor giving it much more power than the outgoing S2000.
It is speculated that this new vehicle will be released in 2014. Only time will tell. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Your local Cincinnati Honda dealer will keep you posted on any new developments coming out about this Honda S2000. Don’t you worry!
It’s almost SUMMER time! Time to cruise the streets of Cincinnati in your new or used car! You want to look good right? Well there are some things that you can do to get your car in good shape and may save you some hassle later. Edmunds.com came up with the top 10 tips to getting your car looking and feeling good for summer time. Some of these things you will not be able to do yourself. You may have to call in a mechanic for a little tune up action but your Cincinnati Mechanic would be more than happy to help you out I am sure of it.
Get rid of road salt on the undercarriage. Road salt can damage your vehicle by eating away at its undercarriage. Use a garden hose with as much water pressure as your system can muster to loosen winter grime and salt. Or, if you have a movable lawn sprinkler that’s low enough, set that under the vehicle to wash away what you can’t reach.
Check the tires. Tire pressure changes about 1 pound per square inch for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit change in outside temperature, so it’s important to check tire pressure after weather changes. Check your owner’s manual for the recommended pressure for your tire, and never exceed that. Always check pressure when the tires are cold, since driving even a couple of miles to the gas station can provide a false reading. Higher pressure generally results in improved steering response and fuel economy, but a stiffer ride, and it wears out the tread in the center. Underinflation generally provides a smoother ride, but it causes tires to wear out at the sides. It also wastes gas because tires need more power to push the vehicle.
Check wiper blades. Your wipers work hard all winter removing dirt and debris, including salt spray. Since the life expectancy of a wiper blade is six months to a year, check that the blades are making full contact with the windshield and have not dried out. Don’t wait for a heavy spring or summer rainstorm to discover your blades aren’t performing properly. Also, refill the wiper fluid reservoir.
Rotate the tires. This is a relatively simple car care procedure that will extend the tread life of your tires, and should be done roughly every 5,000-10,000 miles. Check your owner’s manual for exact intervals. A good rule is to rotate tires after every oil change.
Change the oil and oil filter. Some car manufacturers recommend changing to a heavyweight oil to help the engine perform more efficiently during hotter weather. Most cars now have recommended oil grades of 5W-30, 10W-30 or 10W-40, which are all multiviscous grades — your owner’s manual will tell you which. Change the oil filter each time you change the oil, since it’s obvious that a dirty filter won’t keep the new oil clean.
Change the air filter. The air filter prevents dust and other impurities from getting into the combustion chambers of the cylinders, resulting in wasted gas and weaker engine performance. According to the Car Care Council, replacing a clogged filter can improve mileage by as much as 10 percent. The time-honored way to check for dirt is to hold the filter up to the light, but since many new filters show light when dirty, or show no light when clean, it is more reliable to change the air filter every six months, and more often in dusty locations.
Flush and fill your cooling system. This is cheap insurance against engine failure. The Car Care Council recommends flushing every two years, or 24,000 miles for most vehicles. Simply draining your radiator is not enough; you need to flush the system with a radiator flush product, not just plain water, to remove stubborn rust, grease and sediment. Then, refill with a 50/50 mixture of coolant and water. (If you live in a more severe climate, increase the percentage of coolant to about 70.)
Check the radiator and gas caps. A snug radiator cap helps raise the cooling system pressure, giving added protection against boil-overs. Radiator caps don’t last forever, so replace yours whenever you flush the cooling system. Pressure recommendations vary, so get the right cap for your vehicle model. With gas at record prices, be sure there’s a tight seal on the gas cap, too, to prevent that high-priced octane from vaporizing. Nearly 20 percent of vehicles have gas caps that are damaged, loose or missing altogether, wasting some 147 million gallons of gas every year.
Check the battery and spark plugs. Make sure battery posts and connections are secure and free of corrosion. Spark plugs fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 miles. That’s a lot of heat and wear and tear in the form of electrical and chemical erosion. Dirty spark plugs cause misfiring, which wastes fuel. If you’re planning a long trip, consider replacing the battery and spark plugs if they are more than two years old.
Clean the cabin. Appearances are important, no matter what the season. Discard the debris that’s been hibernating under the seats all winter, then attack the cabin with the most powerful vacuum cleaner you can find. Remove the floor mats to vacuum or wash outside the car. Open the trunk, remove the spare tire and jack and vacuum here, too. Before returning the spare, check its pressure. Most likely it will need air, so remember to do that the next you time you fill the tank. Road dust, coffee stains and fingerprints have no appeal any time of the year, so after vacuuming, use a spray vinyl cleaner and a soft cloth on the dashboard, steering wheel, door panels and seats. That also helps protect against cracking, sun damage and fading. A good household upholstery cleaner is fine for fabric seats; for leather seats, follow manufacturer’s recommendations. Next is an aerosol silicone spray to treat the weather stripping around the outside of doors, windows and the trunk. Be sure to wipe away the excess.
Whew — all done! Finally, you’re ready to wash and wax. Ordinary dishwashing liquid in a bucket of water and a clean, soft sponge will do nicely for the washing, using a different sponge for the body and the tire rims. Then buff dry to a sparkle worthy of spring sunshine, apply a protective coat of wax if necessary and treat yourself to a leisurely ride. You’ve earned it!
Do you think these are helpful tips? Are you going to try these? I am!
We all know how important it is to buckle up when driving. Every single time, no matter this distance, front seat or back seat, it is imperative that you buckle up. Consumer reports have come out with a new study, which shows that Americans wearing their seat belts is at the highest statistic, ever. When you are out and about in your new or used car with your friends and family just remember click it or ticket. Ticket fines are becoming increasingly more expensive. Always remember this….your kids will mimic what they see mom and dad doing so if you don’t wear your seat belt then you can’t expect them to when it’s time for them to drive.
Seat belt use among Americans is at its highest level ever—84 percent. While that is good news, there is still that other 16 percent who need to get the message to buckle up. May 24 through June 5 is the Department of Transportation’s annual “Click It or Ticket” mobilization campaign aimed at delivering the safety message through a law enforcement blitz and crackdown around the country. Police will be out in force and at check points to make sure drivers and passengers are following their state’s seat belt laws.
A number of states have a usage rate below 70 percent, including Massachusetts, Wyoming, and New Hampshire, which is the only state without any seat belt law. Currently, 19 states do not have a primary law, which allows drivers to be pulled over for failing to wear a seat belt. Four of those states have a primary law only for teenagers and younger. The worst offenders of the seat belt law are men aged 18 to 34.
The seat belt is considered by many to be the most important automotive safety invention, and it is simple to use. Don’t wait for a campaign to buckle up, just do it now and make it a habit.
Who would you think would be the better driver? The experience slow paced senior or the fast paced cell phone gabbing teenager? I think you’ll find the results a little astonishing. Most people young or old think they are great drivers. I am confident enough to say I am not the best but I wonder if I’ll be better when I’m older or if I was better in my teen years. Check out this article from the USA Today and when you’re purchasing a new or used car for your parents or your teenager remember this blog. It may help define what car is best for them.
Picture this: You’re out on the road, driving in mixed traffic with your choice of drivers to follow. One is a gray-haired senior puttering along in the right lane and the other is a fresh-faced teenager moving briskly in the left lane.
Statistically speaking, which driver is safer to follow? Kirk Seaman of AOL Autos’ blog asks whether it’s older driver with the slower reflexes, poorer vision and cautious driving style, or the younger driver with faster reactions, better eyesight and driving with the flow of traffic?
Seaman’s answer: Stay in the right lane, behind the oldster, and let the teenager go on his way. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the safest drivers are in the age group between 64 and 69 years old. And studies of the data reveal that teenage drivers — especially male teenage drivers — are the most dangerous drivers on the road.
Here’s Seaman’s report on why:
“In every motorized country around the world, teenage drivers are disproportionately involved in crashes,” said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Institute. “The seriousness of this problem has been recognized for decades. Only in the last few years have public policies such as graduated driving licenses been enacted to address the situation. And those laws seem to be working, but fatalities are still high.”
In 2008, 5,864 15- to 20-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes. That’s the bad news. The good news is that number is down by 27% since 1998. Driver fatalities for this age group also decreased by 20% in the same time period.
However, motor vehicle crashes still remain the major cause of death for teenagers. In 2008, 2,739 15- to 20-year-old drivers were killed and an additional 228,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes. Sixty percent of deaths among passenger vehicle occupants ages 16-19 were drivers.
Senior drivers, like teenage drivers, have higher crash rates per mile driven, especially when it comes to fatal crashes. But seniors don’t drive as many miles, so a better measurement of their susceptibility to accidents can be had by comparing crash rates on a per capita basis. Looking at the numbers in this way shows senior drivers have much lower crash rates. Despite their increased risk of crashing per mile driven, relatively few elderly drivers are involved in accidents because of their lower rates of exposure. In addition, the rate of fatalities per capita among seniors has decreased 40% since 1975 and is now at its lowest level during this period.
Let’s look at the numbers. In 2008, 15- to 20-year-old drivers made up 8.5% of the U.S. population, yet accounted for 12% of occupant deaths among all ages in passenger vehicle (cars, pickups, SUVs, and vans). Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. Drivers from 65 to 69 years old made up 3.7% of the population, but accounted for just 3.2% of all fatal crashes.
Major risk factors contributing to teenage crashes are those you would expect, including:
Lack of experience. Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.
Poor judgment. Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next).
Low seat belt usage. Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2007, 61% of all 15- to 20-year-old passenger vehicle occupants killed in fatal crashes were not wearing seat belts.
“Almost all states have adopted some form of graduated driver licensing,” said McCartt. “These laws are proving effective in reducing teenage crashes.”
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems are designed to delay full licensing while allowing teens to get their initial driving experience under low-risk conditions. Research suggests that the most comprehensive of these programs are associated with reductions of 38% and 40% in fatal and injury crashes, respectively, among 16-year-old drivers.
“When parents know their state’s GDL laws, they can help enforce the laws and, in effect, help keep their teen drivers safe,” said McCartt.
What do you guys think? Do you think the senior is better or the teenager? I’d like to hear your opinions!
What a fun game!! How fast can you name these automaker logos? I will admit there were a few I got stumped on. How well do you think you can do? Can you beat 8 minutes? See the original game from Sporacle here. Let me know how well you did!
This is straight from Consumer Reports! I could not have said it better myself. The review is in! When you’re ready to test drive the 2010 Acura MDX stop by your local Cincinnati Acura dealer for the ultimate in test drives!
Acura’s three-row luxury SUV is a sibling of the more family-focused Honda Pilot. The MDX was redesigned for the 2007 year, and it was given a mid-cycle freshening for 2010 that brought a brand-new six-speed automatic transmission, as well as a few other tweaks and additional standard content.
To evaluate the updates, we bought a new 2010 Acura MDX for $46,715, including the extra-cost navigation system–the only major option on our tester.
The MDX has a slick and powerful 300-horsepower V6 that delivers quick acceleration and sounds polished even at high revs; the new transmission complements the engine perfectly to form a solid, smooth drivetrain.
The MDX is agile. We found it easy to drive, even in a hurry with little body roll and responsive steering. It allows for a bit of cornering line adjustability with the onset of oversteer at its limits, but the electronic stability control system keeps the SUV in line.
Drivers will find plenty of space and a tall, commanding seating position. The front seats are comfortable and supportive, and the second row is roomy for adults. Children will be the only ones who find the third row comfortable, and even then access to them is snug.
The MDX is well appointed with faux wood, soft-touch panels, and quality materials.
Overall, the MDX performs better than vehicles costing far more. For more insights, see our full MDX road test and ratings, available to online subscribers.
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It’s Summer!! It’s time to go camping, start traveling, towing your boat, you name it. You’re going to have fun. Well you want to save money on gas don’t you? Check out these tips from USA Today. The biggest one for me to remember will be the lead foot. I’m always in a hurry to get somewhere when I know I should slow down, enjoy the scenery, and save gas money!
I can not stress enough how important it is to make sure that you get your oil changed regularly and on time. Bad or dirty oil is bad for your engine. Your engine will run a whole lot better with fresh clean oil. Did you know that getting and oil analysis could tell you if you have any maintenance issues? Well it can. Edmunds.com has put together this story on how you can get your oil analyzed in your new or used car and find out if it’s trying to tell you something. This is great information!
Now this is one new show I am going to have to watch! There’s a new TV show on TLC which is going to highlight all of the bad drivers caught on camera. Wonder if they got me running my car into one of those yellows poles at McDonalds or the time I hit the curb and popped the two tires on the drivers side of my car! I sure hope not! Those were innocent accidents of course! 
Road trips… Some of us love them and some of us would rather fly. When I was a kid I hated going to road trips cause there weren’t DVD players, CD players or cell phones. So, I just sat in the back seat arguing with my brother and sister the whole way. Now a days they have plenty of things to keep kids entertained in the car on long road trips. I still love playing games though. We used to look at everyone’s license plates and see who was the furthest from their state. It may not have been a whole lot of fun but I am sure in my mother’s eyes it kept us entertained if even for only 20 minutes. The lovely people over at Edmunds.com have come up with a pretty good list of games you can take with you on your road trip. Hopefully when you are out and about with your family traveling in your new or used car you will remember these and help keep the boredom at bay! See if you remember any of these!
Thanks to Automotive Addicts I was able to come across this story. Could this possibly be the new Honda S2000? What do you think?
It’s almost SUMMER time! Time to cruise the streets of Cincinnati in your new or used car! You want to look good right? Well there are some things that you can do to get your car in good shape and may save you some hassle later. Edmunds.com came up with the top 10 tips to getting your car looking and feeling good for summer time. Some of these things you will not be able to do yourself. You may have to call in a mechanic for a little tune up action but your Cincinnati Mechanic would be more than happy to help you out I am sure of it.
We all know how important it is to buckle up when driving. Every single time, no matter this distance, front seat or back seat, it is imperative that you buckle up. Consumer reports have come out with a new study, which shows that Americans wearing their seat belts is at the highest statistic, ever. When you are out and about in your new or used car with your friends and family just remember click it or ticket. Ticket fines are becoming increasingly more expensive. Always remember this….your kids will mimic what they see mom and dad doing so if you don’t wear your seat belt then you can’t expect them to when it’s time for them to drive.
Who would you think would be the better driver? The experience slow paced senior or the fast paced cell phone gabbing teenager? I think you’ll find the results a little astonishing. Most people young or old think they are great drivers. I am confident enough to say I am not the best but I wonder if I’ll be better when I’m older or if I was better in my teen years. Check out this article from the USA Today and when you’re purchasing a new or used car for your parents or your teenager remember this blog. It may help define what car is best for them.
This is straight from Consumer Reports! I could not have said it better myself. The review is in! When you’re ready to test drive the 2010 Acura MDX stop by your local Cincinnati Acura dealer for the ultimate in test drives!
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