Fix bad weatherstripping immediately

If your weatherstripping is letting rainwater leak into the interior of your car, take a look at it and decide if you can repair it or if it needs to be replaced. Small leaks can be handled with brush-on seam sealers. Resecure loose sections, not otherwise damaged, with trim adhesive. Torn sections may be repaired with special caulking available at auto parts stores. You may also be able to extend the life of worn-but-intact sections by inserting foam rods, available at automotive stores, into the hollow section of the weatherstripping. If you decide to replace entire sections of gasket, don’t simply buy generic stuff such as you’d use around the house. Buy a product that matches your car’s original weatherstripping — it’s available in a wide variety of profiles from dealerships and automotive mail-order catalogues.

Preserve your car during long-term storage

If you are not going to use your car for more than a month, store it properly to prevent unnecessary damage and repairs upon your return.

• Fill the gas tank to help prevent condensation from accumulating in the gas tank. Add a fuel stabilizer and drive the car around a bit to distribute the additive to engine parts.
• Wash and wax the car thoroughly to protect the finish.
• Place a vapor barrier on your garage floor. A 4-mil polyethylene drop cloth will do.
• Disengage the parking brake to help avoid brake corrosion.
• Put the car on jack stands to take the weight of the vehicle off the wheels and tires.
• Disconnect and remove the battery to keep it from draining. Place the battery on a trickletype charger. Or periodically drain the battery, using a small light bulb, and then recharge it with a low-volt charger.
• Plug the tailpipe with a rag to prevent moist air from infiltrating into it.

Lighten up your key chain

Be patient during the break-in period

You’ve bought your dream car and now you want to make it last at long as possible in top condition. Here are some things to remember as you pull it out of the dealer’s lot:

• During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car’s manufacturer.
• Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction materials.
• Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods — this is good advice for the life of your car, but especially during breakin. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.
• Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000 for the first few hours of driving.

Tips For Driving Smarter

Tips For Driving Smarter from the world's most fuel-efficient couple, John and Helen Taylor. Learn how to stretch your car's gasoline and increase fuel efficiency and save money too.


(NAPSI)—Recently, the White House announced an increase in fuel economy standards that would require passenger vehicles and light trucks to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. While this will go a long way to stretch fuel and our natural energy resources in the future, there are actions you can take today to help increase fuel efficiency.

John and Helen Taylor, known as the world’s most fuel-efficient couple and holding 88 world records, know about stretching the boundaries of fuel efficiency.

To demonstrate how you can reduce your fuel consumption and lower the price you pay at the pump, Shell and the Taylors are teaming up to introduce the Smarter Driving program by driving across 48 states, using the least amount of fuel in an unmodified, non-hybrid vehicle.

As official spokespeople for Shell, the Taylors agree that by following the Shell M.A.P. to Smarter Driving, you can become more fuel-efficient and save money with this simple plan:

• Maintenance: Perform smart maintenance before you drive:

− Make sure your tires are not over- or under-inflated: Keeping tires at the correct pressure can improve your gasoline mileage by more than 3 percent.

− Keep your engine well tuned and repair problems immediately: Tuning up your vehicle or checking emissions could improve your gasoline mileage by 4 percent on average.

• Actions: Practice smart actions and behaviors while you’re behind the wheel:

− Avoid the highs and find the lows: Speeding, rapid acceleration and braking can lower gasoline mileage by up to 33 percent at highway speeds.

• Products: Purchase smart products at the right price without sacrificing quality:

− Choose a high-quality gasoline: Lower-quality gasolines can leave performance-robbing “gunk” on intake valves and fuel injectors. Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines help clean up gunk so your engine can perform at its best.

− Use a loyalty or rewards payment card to save at the pump: The Taylors suggest stretching your budget. Shell has teamed up with leading grocers in more than 110 markets across the U.S. where you can earn rewards for using your existing supermarket loyalty card and then redeeming the points at participating Shell stations. Another option is to use a Shell payment card that saves you money at more than 14,000 Shell stations across the U.S.

Smarter Driving can help consumers stretch their budget while helping to protect their vehicle. To test your Smarter Driving IQ and for a chance to win great prizes, visit www.Shell.us/smarterdriving or find Shell on Facebook.

Some tips sourced from www.fueleconomy.gov.

NHTSA To Take Crash-Assessment Testing High Tech

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering at length the changes that could be made to its 5-star crash-assessment testing. Rather than concentrate only on crash-worthiness, the NHTSA is looking into new technologies that put an emphasis on accident-avoidance. NHTSA Administrator David Strickland says, “Crash-worthiness has been the guiding star for NHTSA. But if there’s an opportunity to prevent a crash– that is the goal.” Holding a speech for the Society of Automotive Analysts the day before the North American International Auto Show, Strickland wants to raise consumer awareness towards these new technologies.
On top of accident-avoidance devices like lane departure warning sensors, Strickland says NHTSA is also working on a framework for in-vehicle electronics in order to minimize driver distraction. Strickland explains, “We don’t want to stifle innovation, but we recognize technology (can impact) safety, so we will be setting in-vehicle guidelines so auto makers can innovate within a zone of safety.”
In order to collect data on driver distraction, NHTSA’s research program will be conducted on 2,000 vehicles with cameras to monitor driver behavior over a 2 year period. “The goal is to make sure we have an accurate picture of what is happening in the vehicles so that we’re not creating something that is a risk for every driver.”
The holy grail for automotive safety would be through the development of vehicle-to-vehicle communications, which NHTSA is committed to turning to reality. Studies have proved that the V2V system could eliminate 80% of crashes involving non-impaired drivers. This effectively lowers the number of traffic fatalities by almost 33,000 a year.
While it is unknown exactly when the V2V systems will be ready for mass use, a 3-year test program is currently being conducted, with automakers GM, Ford, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen all taking part.

Satellite Radio Keep Entertainment Quality High On The Road

Keep entertainment quality high on the road with Satellite radio. Sirius and XM radio provide you with commercial free radio in your car, your home or office and on your mobile devices.

(NC)—With Canadians spending more time on the road commuting to and from work, having easy access to great in-car entertainment is a necessity. Many drivers are tired of the commercials on traditional AM/FM radio and have turned to subscription-based satellite radio as their top choice for entertainment when they are behind the wheel. In fact, upwards of two million Canadians now subscribe to satellite radio and enjoy more than 120 channels of commercial-free music plus sports, news and entertainment programming.

Here are answers to some of the most popular questions about satellite radio.

How Does It All Work?

Programming originates from studios in Vancouver, Toronto, New York and Washington and is beamed via satellite across North America. Subscribers can access programming from satellite radios installed in their vehicles, homes or offices or mobile devices.

Where Can I Listen?

Most new vehicles come equipped with satellite radio already integrated in the sound system. For other makes and models of vehicles, there are a variety of radios that are easy to install. Many also offer speaker dock accessories that let you listen at home. Subscribers can also stream Sirius or XM programming online or on their smartphone.

Is It Good For Road Trips?

Satellite radio was made for road trips and with a Sirius or XM radio in your vehicle you can drive from Victoria to Charlottetown or Winnipeg to Miami without having to worry about losing reception.

What About Programming?

Satellite radio subscribers can access more than 120 channels of unbeatable live sports, comedy, entertainment and news in addition to a huge variety of commercial free music programming from every genre. Music programming is constantly updated so playlists never get boring.

What About Sound Quality?

Satellite radio offers unbeatable reception and crystal clear sound.

Who's Listening?

Since the technology first launched in Canada six years ago, more than two million Canadians have subscribed to satellite radio.

What Does It Cost?

Sirius or XM satellite radio is $15 per month, which gives you unlimited access to more than 120 channels of sports, news, entertainment and commercial-free music.

More information is available online at www.sirius.ca or www.xmradio.ca.

Urging Drivers To “Slow Down To Get Around”

Urging Drivers To “Slow Down To Get Around” To Keep The Road Safer For Everyone. Many drivers pass service vehicles too quickly and without the proper regard for the vehicles and people around them.



(NAPSI)—A little patience and courtesy can help to keep drivers and others on the road to safety. That’s the word from the sponsors of a campaign designed to keep drivers of service vehicles and the public safer.

The campaign encourages drivers to extend to service vehicles the courtesy they already show school buses. Drivers understand that when they see a school bus, children are likely to be nearby, so they are expected to slow down.

They also slow down because it’s the law. Speed up around a stopped school bus and you’re likely to get a ticket.

Unfortunately for trash collectors, postal workers and other service vehicles, it’s common for drivers to be not so courteous when they see their trucks stopped in the road.

In fact, some drivers become more aggressive when they see stopped service vehicles, speeding around to avoid them. Unfortunately, the results can be tragic.

A Dangerous Profession

Road accidents caused by distracted or speeding drivers are a huge risk for the more than 135,000 men and women of the solid waste collection industry who are out in force each day keeping communities clean and healthy.

Primarily because of such roadway dangers, trash collection is one of the country’s most dangerous professions. Just ask your local trash collector, and you’re likely to get an earful about the near misses he or she faces nearly every day.

Safety Campaign

A national safety campaign developed by solid waste companies is aimed at putting an end to tragic road accidents involving garbage collectors—a leading cause of workplace deaths for such employees. Called “Slow Down to Get Around,” the campaign urges drivers to be more careful around solid waste collection vehicles.

Setting an Example

“Unlike with school buses, there are no traffic laws forcing drivers to be cautious around garbage trucks,” said Bruce Parker, president of the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA), which represents the private-sector solid waste industry in the U.S. “It’s a major problem, but one that is easily solved.”

“It only takes one smart and cautious driver to set an example,” said NSWMA Safety Director David Biderman. “Be a leader in your community—when you see a trash truck, slow down to get around. By doing so, you may be saving a life.”

For more information, visit www.environmentalistseveryday.org/safety. A national safety campaign is urging drivers to be more careful around solid waste collection vehicles.