Tips that save gas

With the prices of gas going up here are some great tips on saving money!

Fill up with a lower-octane gasoline. Buy the lowest grade or octane of gasoline that is appropriate for your car. Unless your car requires premium gasoline, filling up your car with high-octane fuel is a waste of money. That pricey premium fuel won't boost your car's fuel economy or performance in the least, so skip it.

If you're not sure what grade of fuel works best for your car, open up your owner's manual and take a look. As long as your engine doesn't knock or ping when you fuel up with regular unleaded, you're good to drive on this much cheaper gas. Passing on pricey premium gasoline could save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Don't top off. Don't bother topping off when filling your car's gas tank. Any additional gas is just going to slop around or seep out. Why waste your money paying for gas your car won't use? Stop pumping at the first indication that your tank is full when the automatic nozzle clicks off.

Tighten up that gas cap. Gas will evaporate from your car's gas tank if it has an escape. Loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate each year, according to the Car Care Council. So be sure to tighten up that gas cap each time you fuel up your car.

Go for the shade. The hot summer sun that makes the inside of your car feel like a sauna also zaps fuel from your gas tank.

"If you let your car bake in the sun there's going to be a greater amount of evaporative emissions that take place than if you park in the shade," says Jim Kliesch, research associate at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and vehicle analyst for GreenerCars.com.

So park your car in the shade of a building or tree whenever possible. And buy a good windshield shade. A windshield shade blocks sunlight and helps to keep heat out of the inside of your car.

Use your garage for your car. Got a garage? Clear it out and make room for your car. Parking in your garage will help your car stay warm in winter and cool in summer, and you won't have to depend as much on your gas-guzzling air-conditioning or defroster when you drive.

 

Read more: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/fuel-efficient/5.asp

Read more »

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

Check out these fun facts and may the luck of the Irish smile upon ya!

Fun Facts about St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.

St. Patrick did not actually drive snakes out of Ireland; the snakes represent the pagans that he converted to Christianity.

The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.

In Chicago, on St. Patrick's Day, the rivers are dyed green.

In Seattle, there is a ceremony where a green stripe is painted down the roads.

Most Catholics attend mass in the morning and then attend the St. Patrick's Day parade.

Shamrocks are worn on the lapel on this day.

In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair

Many young people dye their hair green for the special day.

Many people wear green on this holiday to avoid being pinched.

The phrase, "Drowning The Shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.

Many bars in the United States, and abroad, serve green beer to celebrate St. Patty's Day.

Fun Facts about the Irish

34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.

Nine of the people who signed our Declaration Of Independence were of Irish origin, and nineteen Presidents of the United States proudly claim Irish heritage -- including our first President, George Washington.

Some American towns have “Irish” names. You could visit: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; Dublin, California and Dublin, Ohio.

The harp is the symbol of Ireland. The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “the Emerald Isle.”

The Irish flag is green, white and orange. The green symbolizes the people of the south, and orange, the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.

The name “leprechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”

Fun Facts about Clovers

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14.

One estimate suggests that there are about 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.

Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

Read more: http://www.whsv.com/seasonal/misc/40129602.html

Read more »

Has Your Car Been Feeling Left Out in the Cold?

It’s always there when you need it, and it got you through one of the worst winters in recent memory. So why not give your vehicle a little something back? The Car Care Council recommends setting aside a little time this spring to care for your car by following three simple steps.

• Keep your vehicle clean. Regular car washes and waxes protect the paint and body of your car from corrosive debris. In parts of the country where salt is used on the roads, regularly washing is especially important.

• Keep your car on schedule. Every vehicle has a manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule. Whether you choose to do your own maintenance or patronize a local repair shop, following a routine service schedule is essential to keeping your car in safe and dependable working order.

• Keep an eye on the little things. Your windshield wipers aren’t cleaning as well as they should? Your gas tank is missing its cap? There’s a warning light on your dashboard? When you see your car needs attention, don’t delay. Repairing small things now can help avoid more costly problems down the road and add years of useful vehicle life.

“Many vehicles end up neglected during the winter months and could use a little extra care to get them ready for the spring and summer driving season,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “For most Americans, their vehicle is their second biggest investment and they rely on it every single day to get to work, school and everywhere in between. Taking a little time for car care now can save headaches and money in the long run.”

Read more: http://www.carcare.org/node/441

Read more »

Daylight Savings Time Begins on March 13

 

Daylight savings time is coming up this weekend.  Don’t forget to set your clocks forward!

Every year, daylight savings time seems to take people by surprise. In the United States, daylight savings time begins on March 13 at 2 a.m. local time except in parts of Arizona and Hawaii. As the popular saying goes, clocks need to "spring forward" to observe the change. In other words, clocks need to be set ahead by one hour when the clock strikes 2 a.m.

Daylight Savings Time Begins on March 13 in the U.S. - Yahoo! News

Read more »

Car Paint Care Truths

With so much misinformation out there surrounding car care, it's no wonder people get confused about what's truth and what's fiction. Paint care is definitely one area that can raise a lot of questions. To sort the myths from the reality, we talked to Mike Pennington, director of training for Meguiar's. Active with detailing professionals, show-car owners, and amateur enthusiasts, Pennington conducts regular paint-care classes and seminars and acts as technical consultant for many auto manufacturers and their dealerships-including BMW, Lexus, Nissan, Infiniti, and DaimlerChrysler-as well as such automotive paint manufacturers as DuPont, PPG, and BASF. Here's his insight into the paint-care quagmire.

Myth: A wax made of 100-percent carnauba is superior to those using lesser amounts.
Reality: Carnauba wax has been a favorite among car enthusiasts for years, but don't believe that any wax is made of 100-percent carnauba. As the hardest natural wax known, carnauba is much too hard to apply directly to automotive paint. It comes in bricks that must be melted and added to a company's formulation. If a paint protectant advertises "pure carnauba," it means the part of the formula that is carnauba is pure, not that it's 100-percent carnauba. According to Pennington, today's synthetic polymer technology actually provides better protection than carnauba.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/womt/112_0004_paint_myths_and_reality/index.html#ixzz1FZ4bwKbj

Read more »