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Destination Nissan wants to help you up your DIY skills and help keep a couple of extra buck in your wallet so you can use it toward your summer fun! If you know your way around your vehicle and you don’t need any helpful tips for changing your vehicle’s oil, then this week’s blog might not be for you, but if you’re a newbie to the mechanical world and just want to save a little bit of money then you’ve come to the right place! This week we did the hard work for you and we put step-by-step instructions for you but we suggest having your owner’s manual handy for specific information made for your vehicle. If you have any questions feel free to give our service center a call and we will do our best to help you through all of your questions. If you don’t think that you’re up for changing your oil, no problem! Our professionals will get your vehicle in tip-top in no time and if you check out service special page, you could even save big on your oil change. So check out our steps below or schedule your service appointment now! Steps: Make sure you have the proper tools: Different wrenches work best for different cars the best to choose from are Filter Pliers, Band Wrench, Strap Wrench, Cap Wrench, or Expandable Cap Wrench. Pull the plug - Unscrew the plug and quickly pull it out and away from the oil stream. Clean the drain plug and install a new gasket (if required). Remove the oil filter: Screw off the old oil filter and make sure the rubber gasket comes with it! If not peel it from the engine yourself. Add fresh oil: Refill the engine by using a funnel (it’s super messy if you don’t) Recycle the old oil: put your old oil into a large jug and bring it to a recycling center. Run your engine for a few minutes until the dashboard oil light goes out. Wait a few minutes. Then check the dipstick and add oil if needed. Some tips from the experts: If the engine is cold, start it and let it run for five minutes to warm the oil. If it’s hot, wait at least 30 minutes to avoid getting burned. Always use jack stands. Never work under a car that’s supported by a jack only. Always hand-tighten the filter. Never use a filter wrench. Use new oil to coat the oil filter gasket before spinning it on. If you follow these steps you should be done changing your oil in about 20 minutes if you experience an issue or your check engine light doesn’t go off bring your vehicle to a professional for a diagnosis.

The sun sure is shining here in the Capital District and we are confident you'll be lounging by the pool sooner than later! What better way to shake away the stress than with some well deserved TLC? And what would make that even better? Some yummy snacks! I’m sure my fellow foodies would agree that the right snack on a summer day is so important! As we find ourselves spending more time indoors, there’s no better time than now to learn how to make a new snack, right? This week I want to tell you about the sweet refreshing frozen chocolate covered bananas! These sweet treats are SO simple to make and you and the kids will LOVE them! What are you waiting for? Check out all you need to know below! What You’ll Need: 1 banana 1 heaping cup dark chocolate chips 2 Tbsp coconut oil Instructions Slice the banana and place the slices on a tray. Put the tray in the freezer until the bananas are frozen solid. About an hour. Place the chocolate chips and the coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Microwave for another 15 seconds and stir again, until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. Put it back in the microwave for another few seconds if necessary. Don't overheat. Set the chocolate aside to cool. When the bananas are frozen, dip them into the cooled chocolate and coat on all sides. Let any excess chocolate drip off before setting the slice down on parchment or waxed paper. Put the slices back in the freezer right away. You can store the slices in a zip lock freezer baggie once the chocolate has hardened. What to upgrade your old ride for a new Nissan vehicle? Great, because we’re so excited to let you know that our virtual sales department is now available! Just browse our new inventory and schedule a test drive today! Your next adventure awaits! Upgrade Your Summer Fun In A New Nissan!

With summer upon us, you’re going to be using that A/C system a lot more than you have been. That means you need to make sure that your air vents are in good shape - meaning that they’re clean and not dusty and that they don’t blow out stinky air. Have you ever been in someone’s car and experienced a stinky air conditioning system? Don’t be that person. Here’s how to make sure that your air system is in great shape and smelling fresh as springtime all year round. Of course, the first things you’ve got to deal with are the vents themselves. You know, the ones that blow air onto your face and feet that you probably adjust either all the time or never let anyone touch because you’ve got the perfect angle? You’ll need cleaning solution, white vinegar, a vacuum, and some Q-tips. Give your vents a vacuum to get any loose dust out. Then you want to take a Q-tip that’s been dipped in a cleaning solution and really work it into the crevices and hard-to-reach spots. When the Q-tips you’re using come back clean, you know you’ve gotten all the grime. Then, take another Q-tip dipped in white vinegar and go over everything again to get rid of any lingering odors. The vinegar smell doesn’t last long, and when it disappears it takes gross odors with it. Give the vents one last vacuum and you’re done! Make sure you’ve gotten them ALL, including the one that’s right up next to your windshield and the ones at your feet. Don’t forget the back seat! The next step is to take a look at your cabin air filter. Your owner’s manual should cover how to access it, and if not there’s always YouTube. The cabin air filter is your barrier against everything that’s floating through the air that you drive your car through - pollen, dust, smells, odors - and it’s often a forgotten part of the vehicle. Take a look, and if you think it needs changing then schedule an appointment with us to have our service department take care of it! Finally, if you still smell something reminiscent of dirty socks in the car when you run the air, you might have mildew in your A/C evaporator. It’s easy to dry that up! Just drive about a mile away from home (that’s enough time to warm up your engine, you see) and then roll down all your windows and turn the air on full blast. Don’t use the A/C! Just regular old air will do. Keep it running for a minute or two, and that should be enough time to circulate air through the evaporator and dry up any residual moisture. Need Service? We’ve Got It For Less!

How often do you check your oil? Chances are that you don’t do it at all (it’s okay, that was me once upon a time) and believe that this is what the oil change was invented for. Well, that’s not necessarily true! You should probably check your oil at least every time you fill up the tank, and at the bare minimum check on it once a month. Here’s how to do it, for those who don’t know: Open the hood. Prop it so it stays open. Locate the oil dipstick next to the engine. It should have a yellow handle and/or be labeled. Pull out the dipstick and wipe it on a clean cloth or paper towel. Dip the stick all the way back in. Pull it out again and look at the oil level. If it’s in the middle of the hatched/indicated area, you’re good. More is better, less is okay, but if you’re lower than the area you need to get your oil topped up and have your system checked for leaks. Look at the oil quality and color. If there are a lot of particles or if the oil looks sludgy, you need to get it changed as soon as possible. Put the dipstick back in. Close your hood. Checking your oil is important because it lets you know if your vehicle is burning oil when it shouldn’t be, and also can alert you to a leak or let you know if your engine is getting a little dirty. Oil’s purposes include lubricating your engine, sure, but it also keeps sediment, particles, and other things from building up in your engine. The downside of this is that those particles and sediments end up in the oil and might necessitate an oil change. If you see particles or other grime in your oil, take your vehicle in for an oil change. Get An Oil Change (And More) For Less!

It’s still winter, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the right time to clean out your garage so you can at least use it for part of the cold season to make your life a million times easier! Need to know how? We’ve got you covered! Now, this project shouldn’t be daunting, even if you do have a larger garage with a lot of junk in it. The first step to making your garage into the paradise you deserve is to take everything (and we mean everything) out of it and then sort it into a pile of trash and a pile of things you want to keep. Throw away the trash. Go through the “to keep” pile and then throw away the trash that snuck in there. With your garage now beautifully empty, sweep the floor, vacuum it, dust, and declutter. Don’t own shelves? Get some!. If you do have shelves, wipe them down and organize them. Finally, put everything back into your garage. Use the storage you have so that you can park your car inside of your garage in the way Nature intended. And… that’s it! Easy, right? Get Your Vehicle Serviced While You’re At It

If you’ve never had a close call with a tire popping on you, count yourself lucky. It can be an extremely jarring experience! Navigating yourself out of that situation is only half of the battle though. The other half comes in when you need to actually change your tire. I know that when I was a new driver I wasn’t sure how exactly to change a tire, and I wasn’t sure that even if I did, I had the tools I’d need to change the tire. For those of you out there who want to be prepared in the event of a tire change, below we’ll provide info on the supplies you will need and the steps to take to change the tire. Things you’ll need: Spare tire, Tire Jack, Lug Wrench, and Wheel Chocks Make sure your vehicle is on a flat surface. NEVER change a tire on an incline or hill; always seek a flat surface, even if it means driving on a flat tire. Once you are on a flat surface, use bricks, wooden wedges, or metal wheel chocks to block the wheels at the opposite end of the car from the end that is to be raised to secure your vehicle. Remove the wheel cover. You can use a screwdriver to pry the wheel cover off by inserting the point of the tool where the edge of the cover meets the wheel, and apply a little leverage. The cap should pop off. You may have to do this in a couple of places, as if you were prying the lid off a can of paint. Loosen the lug nuts SLIGHTLY. Don‘t remove the lug nuts completely; just get them loose enough to remove by hand after you jack up the vehicle. If you’re having trouble, a hollow pipe and a cross-shaft wrench can loosen the tightest lug nuts. If you have alloy wheels that are held on by lug nuts with delicate finishes, the delicate aluminum or chrome-plated lug nuts need careful handling. They should never be loosened or replaced with power tools that can scratch the delicate finish. Secure your jack under your vehicle. Use your owner’s manual to identify where these areas might be depending on which tire needs to be replaced. Jack up the vehicle about 6 inches off the ground. Take the lug nuts completely off by hand and put them in a safe place — inside the wheel cover or hubcap works well. Grasp the flat tire with both hands and pull it straight toward you. As you pull the flat off, it should slide along the bolts until it clears the end of the bolts and you find yourself supporting its full weight. Roll the flat along the ground to the rear of the vehicle to get it out of the way. Lift the spare onto the lug bolts. Remember, tires tend to be quite heavy so use caution when lifting so that you don’t hurt your back. Replace the lug nuts and tighten them by hand as tight as you can get them. Wait until the car is on the ground before you tighten the lug nuts all the way with the wrench. Replace the wheel cover or hubcap. If your car has wheel covers with a delicate finish, the owner’s manual should provide instructions for replacing it. If your car has hubcaps, place the hubcap against the wheel and whack it into place with the heel of your hand. Cushion your hand with a soft rag first so that you won’t hurt it. And don’t hit the hubcap with a wrench or hammer — you’ll dent it. Ta da! You did it! You changed your tire and are able to safely drive away. Make sure to stop by Destination Nissan as soon as possible following replacing the tire, as spare tires are not meant to be driven for extended periods of time. We will happily hook you up with some new tires! While you’re there, check out some snow tires to be ready for the incoming winter weather! Check Your Tires At Destination Today!