The 2019 North American International Auto Show, held annually in Detroit, kicked off its press preview yesterday. This year is the show’s last time taking place in January, as the traditionally winter show will be moving to June starting next year. Let’s look at some of the yesterday’s most exciting highlights. Read the rest of this entry
More formally known as Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), the “check engine” light is primarily monitors a car’s emissions system. But according to Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing for Edmunds.com, “the engine and the emission control system are so interlinked that the health of the emission control system is a good indication of the general health of the car’s engine.”
With this in mind, resist that common human urge to ignore the light. If your Check Engine light is illuminated and doesn’t turn off on its own in a short period of time, it’s best to get it looked at promptly; especially if the light is flashing, which indicates a more serious problem. Below we have the five most common causes for an illuminated Check Engine light. Read the rest of this entry
We’ve often wondered at the question: what’s the most popular car here in Texas? Is it really the pickup truck, the vehicle we’re so commonly associated with? Or does a sedan or SUV take the real lead? Well, we decided to delve into this all-important issue, and found that, unfortunately, the answer is not completely straightforward. Read the rest of this entry
Although here in Texas we’re known more for hot temperatures than cold, that doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and no rain. In the winter the occasional freeze is all the more dangerous due to its rarity, and the lack of knowledge most of us have in how to deal with driving in these unfamiliar conditions.
When the rough weather hits, most Texans either stay at home in fear or drive dangerously. Luckily, there’s a happy medium that can be found if you know how to deal with the patches of ice. Here are some tips recommended by the Texas Department of Insurance for a safe driving experience. Read the rest of this entry
We’ve written an entire blog about how often you should wash your car, and even some tips and tricks for keeping the seats in good condition, but today we wanted to share a few really useful videos we found about cleaning car windows. Keeping your windows clean is an important part of staying safe on the road, and whether you are picking up bugs and gunk on the outside, or that oily residue on the inside, it’s important to occasionally give that glass a good scrubbing. So what’s the best way to clean your windows without streaking or unpleasantness? Check it out. Read the rest of this entry
Oil changes are on our list of necessary preventative car maintenance. You should change your oil when you hit certain mileage milestones. That is about 3,000-5,000 miles for your standard gasoline-powered passenger car and up to 10,000 miles or more for some vehicles. But are there signs you should get your oil changed, or can a car keep going indefinitely? Let’s just say if you notice any of the issues below, you should get to the shop! Read the rest of this entry
This New Year’s Eve there will be plenty of fun activities for adults, but what about the little ones in your life? We’ve focused in on three family-friendly New Year’s Eve 2018 activities in Austin TX that can offer great fun at a reasonable time. Read the rest of this entry
Christmas is right around the corner, which means that the shopping frenzy is in full swing. Do you have the gifts you need for the important people in your life? If the person who has everything also has a car, truck or crossover, then you still have options for a great gift. The best Christmas gifts for people with older cars may not always be the most romantic, but they made be practical and very welcome. Here are some of our ideas below. Read the rest of this entry
While Honda and Toyota have been offering fairly extensive driver assistance safety features on their vehicles for a few years, other brands are just getting into the game. Nissan is planning to make Nissan Safety Shield a standard feature on most new Nissan vehicles by 2021, while Ford introduced a new suite of safety systems for 2019 that it plans to make standard by 2020. But what features come standard with Ford Co-Pilot360? And what models are currently available with this feature? Read the rest of this entry
We have already written about two of the classic heavy-hitters when it comes to driver assistance features: Honda and Toyota. While these two brands have been offering advanced crash-prevention safety features for years, most brands are starting to get on the bandwagon, including Nissan with the Safety Shield 360. But what features are in the Nissan Safety Shield 360 system and what Nissan models have this feature? Keep reading to find out. Read the rest of this entry