Going somewhere for the holidays? It’s time for your car’s annual holiday checkup

Brian England, Fri, Oct 29, 2021

The Fall weather is here and so is the holiday season.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it is one of the most traveled weeks of the year.  It is also a busy time for us, getting our customer ‘s cars ready for holiday travel.   There is no better time than the present for booking an appointment with us to give your car its annual holiday checkup.

Check Your Service Records
Start by checking the service reminder sticker or your records to see when you are due for service. Be sure to see if there are services or repairs that you have been putting off. Most independent auto repair shops can help you by going through their records to double check to see what services are due on your vehicle. If your budget is limited then prioritize service on your car in this order: safety, reliability, and preventive maintenance. Remember preparing your vehicle for a long trip is more that an oil change at a local quick lube place! Select an auto repair shop that can evaluate your entire vehicle instead of a few basic systems.

Turn Off the Recirculate Button
With the colder weather coming, it is a good time to check your vehicle’s heating system. If your car has a “recycle” air button (See picture) it needs to stay in the off position, so that it is not recirculating the inside air in your car. The recycle button usually looks like an arrow rotating in a circle. You don’t want to use Recirculated Air in the winter because it traps humidity inside the car, resulting in super foggy windows! So, when it’s cold outside, make sure that Recirculation is NOT selected. Otherwise, your car will look like a lot of cars you see on the highway in winter all fogged up!

Please contact us if you have any questions or if you want to schedule a holiday checkup for your car. And have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.