Here in Albany, we have a little bit of a crisis on our hands. Every time I personally leave the house and get on the road, there’s someone else out there who, without fail, will not use their turn signal. It not only makes me SUPER angry, but it’s also incredibly unsafe. Do you know that your turn signals are, like, the only way you have to communicate with other drivers when you’re in the car? Obviously, you’re not going to stick your head out the window and yell “I’M TURNING LEFT,” you’re going to use your turn signal. Wouldn’t you want to know what the other drivers’ intentions are? Anyway, because of this pent-up anger and rage that I am feeling, I am writing a blog to hopefully teach everyone about how to use their turn signals properly and stay safe on the road. Let’s go! First of all, let’s cover how to use your turn signal since I worry that there are some folks out there who are legitimately driving around without the basic knowledge of how the turn signal works (based on how few people I see using said turn signal). First of all, there’s usually a little lever on the left side of your steering wheel. It sticks out a bit and probably has some icons on it, like a little lightbulb or even a couple of arrows. If you push this up or down, it will turn on the turn signals. Push it back to center to turn the signal off. You will be able to tell which direction you are indicating because little arrows will light up on your dashboard pointing either left or right, often accompanied by a clicking sound that will help you know that the signal is on. To use the signal, you should make sure that you are about 100 feet away from the intersection when you turn your signal on. Some people think that it is important to turn on the signal as they are in the middle of turning, but by then it has become pointless to do so and is still frustrating to other drivers. The reason for the turn signal is to indicate to other drivers, before the action of turning, that you mean to turn soon so that they can prepare for this. Therefore, turn on the signal at least 100 feet before the physical turning place. The next step is to make sure that your turn signal is off after you have completed your turn. Just because you have used it once doesn’t mean that you’re now set for life and never have to use it again! But, when you are done turning you should always make sure that your signal is off and ready to be used again the next time you have to turn. If your music is too loud, you might not hear the clicking that indicates that your signal is on, but you should be able to see the arrow flashing if you are paying attention! Finally, I will leave you with this list of appropriate places to use your turn signal: When you are making a right-hand or left-hand turn When you are changing lanes When you are pulling away from the curb When you are parking, parallel or otherwise When you are merging onto the highway When you are getting off the highway When you are in a turning lane (yes, you still need to use your signal when you’re in a turning lane) When you are leaving the parking lot When you are exiting a driveway and getting onto the main road When you are passing another vehicle (legally, of course) When you think you should use your turn signal, use it. Turn Better Than Ever In A New Nissan

When it comes to washing your car, you might THINK that you have the technique down. However, that’s not necessarily true! There are a lot of little-hidden secrets to washing your car the right way that a lot of folks just don’t know. That’s okay - we’re here now, and we’re going to share those secrets and your vehicle will be much better off for it. Trust us, we’re professionals! For a proper car wash, you’ll need supplies like a proper automotive soap or shampoo, a microfiber cloth (well, a few of these) or microfiber wash mitt, a wheel brush, and a couple of buckets for water, both to soap and rinse. The first thing you should do before you start washing is to make sure your vehicle is in the shade, and then give it a good rinse with the hose before you begin. Get the body of the vehicle AND the undercarriage! There’s a lot of dirt and salt that you might miss by not rinsing properly, so make sure you’re thorough. Next, the wash! Fill one bucket with soapy water and the other with clean water for rinsing your washing cloths/mitts/what have you. Soap up the car, using long straight strokes and going panel by panel. When you’ve washed the whole thing, let the suds dwell for a few minutes while you tackle the wheels, making sure to get between the spokes. The final rinse is next, and you should be equally as thorough with this one as you were with the first so you get all the soap off. Now, the trick is to NOT let your car air-dry. Dry the vehicle panel by panel with a dry microfiber cloth. When you let the car air dry, the evaporating water leaves rings and deposits and those are hard to get off. After this, a nice coat of protectant spray or wax would not go amiss at all. This preserves the hard work you’ve just done and protects your vehicle against any future damage between now and your next wash. And… you’re done! Admire your hard work and check out those muscles in the mirrorlike shine of your paint. You earned it! See What Services We Provide!

If you are interested in increasing your vehicle’s fuel economy, you have come to the right blog! It’s not very hard to do, and especially if you’re not quite at the place to get a new vehicle just yet this can be a great thing to focus on when you drive that’ll save you money and can even be a fun driving challenge! Our first tip for getting those MPGs up is to not speed. Speeding is, first of all, illegal, and second of all, it can bring your MPGs down drastically. When you are speeding, you’re accelerating (and decelerating) a lot more than you normally would be, which is a terrible waste of gas. To combat this, don’t speed! And use your cruise control when you are on the highway - it will keep you at a safe and consistent rate of speed. Keeping your vehicle in peak condition is also incredibly important. Your tires should be properly inflated and your alignment should be perfect at all times. Regular inspections, tire rotations, and alignment checks are essential in maintaining good fuel economy. When your tires are properly inflated, the amount of drag that your engine has to work through is reduced. When it’s time for you to get new tires, ask for low rolling resistance tires to help your engine even more. Combine trips when you leave the house to run errands. Carpooling is a great solution to not only lowering your emissions, but helping everyone save on gas! When you’re out and about, don’t idle your vehicle. Idling for one minute uses as much gas as it takes to start your car in the first place, and it creates a lot more exhaust. When you’re out in the summer, try to park in the shade. Not only does this make your vehicle more comfortable for you to get into when you’re done with your errand, but it minimizes the evaporation of fuel in your tank from the heat and leaves you with more gas to use while driving. Finally, minimize the weight of your vehicle and the drag from vehicle storage. Clean out your vehicle and get rid of things in it that might be weighing you down. If you have roof storage, like a box, consider making room for those items in your vehicle or switching to a rear-mounted box to reduce drag. You won’t increase your MPGs from 20 to 70, but if you do these things then you’ll hopefully see an increase of a few miles per gallon through careful driving! Fuel Efficient Vehicles Right Here!