Critical Maintenance

Maintenance "Musts"

The best way to keep your vehicle healthy is to keep it clean and lubricated. Maintenance "musts" include changing filters and oil on a regular basis. These basics are the most important part of any maintenance regime and they're also relatively inexpensive. If you do these things regularly, you can help maximize your vehicle's life.

Important filters include:

	oil filter
	engine air filter
	fuel filter
	automatic transmission fluid filter
	PCV/Breathers
	cabin air filters

Most vehicle manuals recommend that you service your vehicle more frequently if you drive in "severe" conditions. Most drivers are surprised at what counts for severe driving. In fact, for most drivers, "normal" driving habits are actually "severe"!

"Severe" driving conditions include one or more of the following:

	driving in stop and go traffic
	driving in extremely hot or cold temperatures
	driving at prolonged higher engine speeds
	taking multiple trips averaging 5 to 10 miles in length
	frequent cold start-ups and shut downs
	extensive engine idling
	towing and/or hauling heavy loads
	driving in dusty or muddy conditions
	driving in mountainous terrain

Protect your car with proper maintenance to counteract the effects of severe driving.

Hitting the Road for a Last Minute Vacation?

More than half of US drivrs strive to clock 150,000 miles on their vehicle before replacing it. And more than a quarter aspire to hit 250,000 miles, according to a recent survey.* What about you?

With older cars on the road, preventive maintenance is more important than ever - especially when preparing for summer road trips. Follow these tips to keep your ride running, beat the heat and conquer the miles ahead.

Check Your Vital Fluids

Engine oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle. Check your owner's manual to see how often your manufacturer recommends changing the oil and filter. Also check your radiator fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield wiper fluid - and top-off or change them as needed.

Clean & Replace Wiper Blades

Getting caught in summer showers with dirty or old wiper blades isn't fun. Simply run a paper towel over your wiper blades to clean off dirt. Check for cracks and tears in the blades, and be sure to replace them at the interval specified by your owner's manual.

Keep Your Tires Pumped & Rotated

Check the pressure and wear on your tires regularly, while also rotating and balancing them. Over- or under-inflation can weaken your tires, cause uneven tread wear, and impact your gas mileage. You can find the proper tire pressure in your owner's manual or on a decal often located in your vehicle's door jamb. For the most accurate reading, check the pressure when the tire is cold or at air temperature. Be sure to check the spare too!

Stay Cool & Check the A/C

Have a professional perform a cooling system check to ensure you'll stay cool throughout the summer heat. Over time, dirt, bugs, leaves and other debris can collect in fornt of your ride's radiator and interfere with the cooling system. Spray the radiator grill with a hose when you wash your vehicle to remove debris and allow air to flow freely to your air conditioner.

Check & Replace Your Engine Air Filter

An engine air filter is like your vehicle's lung. The dirtier the air filter, the less clean air can get to your engine, which can affect performance. See your owner's manual for how often it should be replaced.

Prepare for an Emergency

Pull together an emergency kit to keep in your trunk. Include items such as bottled water, a flashlight, flares, duct tape, batteries, jumper cables, energy bars, a blanket and pair of gloves, emergency phone numbers, first aid supplies and a can of Fix-A-Flat® inflator and sealer. You can never be too prepared!

Increase Fuel Efficiency

Excess weight makes your engine work harder and use more gasoline, affecting fuel efficiency. This is especially important to consider for long summer road trips. Match the load rate of your vehicle (found in the owner's manual or inside the driver's side door) with the estimated weight of your family and the luggage you'll be packing for the trip to maximize your gas mileage. Visit fueleconomy.gov for more information on fuel efficiency and ways to save.

Fight Retinoblastoma!

Visit our official site, http://www.jiffylubene.com to learn more about this important cause and what you can do to help!

What Your Front Tire Looked Like 100 Years Ago

Personally, I'm astounded how far we've come in a relatively short 100 years. Entirely fascinating.

http://blog.1aauto.com/2011/07​/19/100-years-ago-this-was-you​r-right-front-wheel/?utm_mediu​m=email&utm_term=blog+6&utm_ca​mpaign=email-campaign282

Carpooling tips and Safety

Six Driving Tips for Back-to-School Carpoolers

It's back-to-school time and, for many parents, that means carpools. Before trucking the kids around town, parents need to make sure their vehicles are operating safely. These quick tips will help ensure your vehicle is ready to keep up with the kids' busy schedules.

1.	Take the vehicle in for routine maintenance. A Jiffy Lube Signature Service® Oil Change is a smart first step to prepare your vehicle for back-to-school driving. Your vehicle's engine will likely be working overtime since most carpools require quick trips in heavily trafficked areas. Changing your engine oil, replacing dirty air filters and checking your tire pressure are all important to keep your vehicle on the road, not on the side of it.
2.	Buckle up and make sure your passengers do too. Seat belt use among high school students is lower than among other occupants in passenger vehicles. According to a survey from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, many teens aren't buckling up, even when adults are driving with them and using belts themselves. Teens often follow by example. The study reported that more than half of teens were more likely to buckle up if the adult who dropped them off at school also wore a seat belt. However, when adult drivers did not use seat belts, only 8% of teens used theirs.
3.	Practice proper car seat safety. Some mothers will be taking preschool children along when they drive older children to and from school. Make sure everyone is using proper seat restraints at all times. For infants (from birth to one year and less than 20 lbs.), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends infant-only or rear-facing convertible seats with harness straps at or below shoulder level. The NHTSA says toddlers (over one year and between 20 to 40 lbs.) should be placed in convertible/forward-facing seats with harness straps at or above shoulders. For young children (four to eight years old and more than 40 lbs.), the organization recommends a forward-facing, belt positioning booster seat with the lap belt fitting low and tight across the lap/upper thigh area and the shoulder belt snug across the chest and shoulder. All children aged 12 and under should ride in the back seat.
4.	Be prepared for fall showers. There may be times when you have to make the ride to or from school in a heavy downpour. As part of a Jiffy Lube Signature Service® Oil Change, a technician can check the status of your windshield wipers and tire tread. You want to make sure wipers glide smoothly across the windshield without streaking and you're getting enough tire traction on a slippery road.
5.	Talk to your children about where they walk outside of schools. Tell them to always use school crosswalks and sidewalks and be alert at all times. According to the Safe Routes to Schools organization, of the leading types of youth pedestrian crashes, 33% are due to dart-outs — entering traffic mid-block, often between parked cars.
6.	Obey school zone speed limits. Children may not always stay on the sidewalk or within crosswalk lines, so you need to be extra careful. As a lot of morning traffic is comprised of parents driving children to school, so you should also watch out for other vehicles slowing down or suddenly stopping to let children out.

Safety Recalls for Vehicles

http://www.recalls.gov/nhtsa.html
It's a good idea, for safety's sake, to make a point of regularly checking the updated list of auto-related recalls.  The NHTSA keeps a vigorously updated list of all auto and auto related recalls at the above link.  Read a bit more about the NHTSA below or visit the link for more detailed information.
http://www.recalls.gov/nhtsa.html
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation provides recall information including vehicle and equipment campaigns from 1966 to present. The campaigns include motor vehicle products which experienced a safety-related defect or did not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards.  

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Jiffy Lube has now consolidated all it's most valuable money-saving coupons on a variety of services.   This is the place to find the best Jiffy Lube coupons.  Think of it as a "members only" site for those of you smart enough to take advantage of these Insider Discounts.  

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