More Ways To Save Money On Gas

First of all, check your gas cap! Believe it or not, it's been estimated that nearly 17% of cars on the road have broken or missing gas caps. What's the big deal? Escaping fumes not only hurt fuel economy but release smog-causing compounds into the air.

While you're at it, slow down. For every 5 mph you reduce highway speed, you can reduce fuel consumption by 7%. Avoiding jack-rabbit starts and stops will improve fuel economy as well. Don't believe it? Lousy driving on the highway can add as much as one-third to your gas bill.

Nighttime Driving Worries: Do You Want to See Better At Night?

Are you someone, or do you know someone who doesn’t enjoy driving once the sun has gone down?
You’re not alone. A recent survey from SYLVANIA Automotive found that 62 percent of motorists avoid driving during evening hours. However, for many drivers avoidance is simply not realistic – you still need to get home from work, your children still need to get to and from after-school activities, and plans must go on. So, what to do? In order to increase visibility on the road and make you more comfortable when driving at night, it is essential that high-performance headlights are installed on your vehicle.

The same survey found that while 28 percent of drivers have difficulty seeing hazards and other drivers on the road at night, 34 percent of drivers have never changed out their headlights.
When asked the question:  “Do you want to see better when driving at night?” – The answer should always be yes.  This is a no brainer – we all want to see better when given the option. Improving a vehicle’s headlights can affect the lives of drivers and their overall experience on the road. Better headlights can help improve down road visibility and increase chances of seeing objects sooner in the event of an accident or hazardous road conditions. This is a simple maintenance check that drivers of all ages should prioritize when it comes to overall road safety.

2012 Ford Escape XLT

Get Keyless Entry, SiriusXM radio and a leather trimmed steering wheel with this awesome Ford Escape! See more of this beautiful car here.

Five-star safety

 Most new cars have a five-star safety rating - but there are some important differences. For example, five stars do not always add up to six or more airbags. Some car makers provide only enough (four) airbags to earn the five-star rating.
For complete peace of mind, be sure to check there are two front, two side (usually in the outer cushion of the front seats) and two head-protecting "curtain" airbags that drop down from the roof above the side windows - front and rear.
Some cars have knee-protecting airbags under the steering column and near the glovebox, while others also have rear-seat airbags.

Shopping for a New Vehicle

When shopping for a new vehicle, the world is your oyster. Every vehicle in every automaker's lineup is available for your perusal. You can purchase a fully loaded minivan for those big family vacations, a sleek new sports coupe for your next mid-life crisis toy or a stripped down compact for your new college graduate. The sky is quite seriously the limit. With hundreds of different models of sedans, sports cars, trucks and SUVs on the market right now, it's up to you to pick out which type of vehicle suits you best. This isn't as tricky as it sounds. Once you know what size vehicle you're looking for, you can do research online to figure out which ones you'd like to test drive. To help you out, here are some things you should consider when narrowing down your list of new cars.

Features
Automakers offer just about every feature imaginable on their newest model year vehicles. Some will make your car more comfortable, others make it more attractive and some will even make it safer. Depending on your price range, some of these features like heated seats and darkness-detecting lights may come standard. In other cases, you'll have to pay extra for anything above the baseline. Since some of these features are worth more than others, we've created a rundown of everything you'll be able to add to a new car accompanied by our opinion on their values.

Backup Cameras 

Backup cameras can be incredibly useful gadgets if you find yourself needing to Parallel Park regularly. They can make squeezing into a space easy for even the shakiest parkers. And the technology they use is constantly becoming more advanced. The only downside is that these cameras are usually included as part of a "premium" package on midrange cars, making them a bit pricey for some budgets.

Remote Entry
Remote entry has come a long way in the last couple of years. Every new model comes with a remote key fob these days and you can unlock many of them simply by approaching the car with the key in your pocket. The newest models of the Ford Escape and Mercedes-Benz SUVs offer hands-free access not only to the doors, but also to the back hatch as well. Just wave your foot under the bumper and the door will open on its. If you have to haul a lot of things around, this will definitely be a useful investment.

Inductive Charging
Those power mats that charge your electronic devices just by touching them have finally made their way to vehicles like the new Dodge Dart. Unfortunately, these mats are often more trouble than they're worth – you have to install an accessory onto every device you wish to charge plus you need to pay the dealership a premium to install the mats in the first place. In our opinion, you should just stick to the good old fashioned outlet chargers that you can buy for about $10.

Heated Seats
Nothing feels better than a warm seat after you've just come in from the rain or snow. However, their utility is limited unless you live in area that sees a significant amount of inclement weather. Luckily, most vehicles that offer heated seats include them as a standard feature. If your vehicle requires you to upgrade to heated seats, you may not t be missing much by skipping them.

Make sure your windshield wipers are in good shape

Winter wipers - with the rubber coverings that keep ice from collecting on the blade - have become very popular. They're great in the winter, but make sure you take them off in the spring. Winter wipers are heavy, and if you use them all summer, you'll wear out the wiper motor prematurely.
And when using your wipers in the winter, remember to turn them off BEFORE shutting off the engine. Why? Water frequently freezes overnight during the winter. And if your blades freeze to the windshield, when you go to start your car, the wiper motor may burn out trying to get them back to the "rest position," while you're sitting there wondering, "What's that burning smell?"