The politically correct thing to do these days is to go green by buying and using all things that are environmentally friendly and natural. Buzz words such as ‘recycle’, ‘save the forest’, and ‘black mold’ have been around for a long time, but I think we are finally beginning to “get it”. Moving into an era of saving the planet by going back to basics has merit.
Now, most of us can’t afford to rip up our hardwood floors and replace it with Bamboo, but there are quite a few things we can do with what we have to be more “green”. Let’s talk cars.
Fuel economy is on most of our minds, what with the price of gas going up. Again. So let's look at a few easy ways to cut fuel consumption by getting better mileage.
- Rapid acceleration and going over 60 mph can use up to 33% more gas. - Regular tune-ups can save about 4% in gas usage. - Keeping tires rotated and at the proper pressure can save about 3.3%. - Using the recommended grade motor oil can save you 2%.
All in all, that's over 42% saving per tank of gas. Cha-ching!
Changing a dirty air filter can also improve fuel mileage up to 10%. A little maintenance now can save you big bucks later. Cleaning your fuel system by getting rid of those nasty carbon deposits every 15,000 miles will save you costly repairs in the future and help save money at the gas pump now. A transmission flush removes deposits and buildup and lets the shifting process work more efficiently which will add to the longevity of the transmission and better fuel economy.
These fuel economy and car maintenance tips are just a few suggestions that will allow you to not only "go green", but to keep your car longer. Because that's what we're all about: cars for keeps!
Ever notice how history has a way of repeating itself? And, isn’t it important to learn from the past? Common sense observations, right? Well in reality, history does repeat itself, and sometimes we never learn. Such is the case of the economy and the auto crisis of the past several years. As the auto industry crawls back to life, let’s look back to its beginning.
Henry Ford began production of his revolutionary Model T back in 1909. It was a basic, rugged vehicle made of sturdy materials, with a high clearance to provide reliable transportation over the challenges of existing horse and carriage trails. For $850, it was initially a luxury and a novelty; a status symbol for the rich, or a toy for the first motor heads. Ford was ambitious, "I will build a motor car for the great multitude,” clearly stating his goal of placing a Model T in every home. To realize this vision, Ford adapted assembly line production techniques in 1913, and applied them to the Model T. Ford quickly lowered the production time for a new car from several hours to one every 93 minutes, then eventually to its final impressive rate of 23 seconds per car. Saving time and money, the purchase price lowered to an affordable $290. Sales of the “Tin Lizzy” sky rocketed, and Ford eventually sold an amazing 15 million Model Ts before the end of its production in 1927.
General Motors upped the ante. While Ford kept the production costs and the price down by producing basically the same car every year (“Any color as long as it’s black.”), GM updated their cars annually in flashy new colors, the latest in design flare and fancy options. Through aggressive advertising, GM’s Alfred P. Sloan sold the idea of two cars in every family, along with the need to buy a new car every year. Planned obsolescence became GM’s strategy, convincing buyers that last year’s model was out of date and out of style. Anybody that’s anybody would have to buy the latest and greatest GM car. Cost was not a problem, thanks to Sloan’s new finance program, the installment plan. In the freewheeling roaring twenties, the buyer could pay monthly for a car, and then return it to the dealer for the next year’s exciting new model. Ford perfected the use of the assembly line, but Sloan revolutionized the auto industry by selling cars on credit.
Autos sales soared through the 1920s, feeding a booming economy. The support industries of steel, rubber and glass thrived, as did thousands of businesses capitalizing on the new found mobility provided by cars. Movie theatres, grocery stores and baseball games attracted thousands of auto touring families and individuals in search of new destinations and diversions with their cars. Highway construction began, gas stations were built, and life was good. Then in 1929, Black Thursday and Black Tuesday hit, and the greatest stock market crash in history was a reality. Ten years of the Great Depression followed. Jobs were lost, monthly installment payments were missed, cars were repossessed, and the idea of a new car every year was history.
Flash forward to today where buying a car on credit is a given. With new car prices regularly over $20,000, paying cash for a car is rare. Credit is an industry unto itself. Companies developed another alternative by creating lease programs where the buyer only pays for a car during a finite period of time, and then returns it to the dealer. Similar to Sloan’s plan, leasing allows a purchaser to buy a car without really owning it. In good times, credit or leasing programs can provide a buyer a new car every three or four years, and possibly a better car than they could normally afford. There is also big money to be made for the loan companies that provide the financing. But obviously, the success of either program is reliant on the buyers paying their debt.
As with the 1930s, our recent auto crisis brought all of the fun to an end, again. Before this downturn, auto manufacturers could not make enough cars. Vehicles were sold, even more were made. When auto sales reached their peak and people slowed their buying, companies made even more vehicles and marketed them aggressively with ambitious rebate plans. A vicious cycle accelerated. Manufacturers made less on each car, so they needed to sell still more just to break even. Most car makers did not succeed. Huge inventories backed up. Then the economy plummeted, people lost their jobs, cars stopped selling, auto companies were stuck in the red, and the government bail-outs are now history. Déjà vu: too many cars and too much credit.
Reflecting back to a simpler time, the days of Henry Ford providing basic, reliable transportation for $290 CASH made perfect sense. Alfred P. Sloan contributed to the Crash of 1929 with GM’s installment plan, and the planned obsolescence of their flashy new models. Could Sloan be responsible for the ills that the auto industry is only now recovering from, yet again? It’s hard to believe that lessons can’t be learned.
Summer has finally hit West Michigan, bringing a host of fun summer events for the whole family. Whether you like to grill out on the beach or hike Michigan's beautiful inland woods (before the black flies arrive), there's plenty to do in the lakeshore community. This coming Memorial Day weekend will kick off the summer season around Lake Michigan, with parades, carnivals and fireworks schedule in every city up the lakeshore, from Grand Haven to Ludington.
In the list below, we've collected a few notable events happening throughout West Michigan this Memorial Day weekend and over the next several weeks. If there are any events we didn't mention which you'd like us to list here, just comment and we'll add it to our Facebook page.
Well-known by Grand Haven locals, the Grand Haven Offshore Challenge runs June 4th-6th and is a favorite lakeshore annual event. The challenge includes events for kids, ladies, amateurs and pros to participate in, and the Grand Haven community offers plenty for non-participants to do while the run is on. This year, the Pro division grand prize has been upped to $10,000!
A complete roster of family events running all week, through the 31st. Fruitport's week-long Memorial Day celebration will feature a host of fairs, parades, car shows, tournaments and concerts. A carnival midway, Lions Ox Roast, riverboat cruises, fireworks, a children's petting zoo and many other activities will be running throughout the week.
The Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids are host to countless activities, exhibitions and concert events - not to mention their beautiful indoor and outdoor gardens. Their indoor gardens are complete with a large tropical conservatory, and the outdoor grounds are a maze of playgrounds, wildlife and fascinating sculptures, perfect for a romantic getaway or family event.
This summer, the Frederick Meijer Gardens are hosting internationally renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly's latest exhibition: A New Eden. If that's not enough, check out their impressive summer concert lineup.
If you're in Grand Rapids enjoying the Frederick Meijer Gardens, you might as well stop by John Ball Zoo as well. This summer, John Ball Zoo is kicking off the season with Guinea baboons and colobus monkeys. As West Michigan's most loved zoo, John Ball is a great place to spend the afternoon with your family. Admission prices are $7.50 for adults and $5.50 for kids.
Marshall, Michigan is a ways to travel for those of us who live on the lakeshore, but if you have a sliver of medieval nerd in you, Mayfaire Renaissance Festival is worth the trip. This medieval festival is family-friendly and has everything for spectator and participant alike. Enjoy jousting tournaments, sword fights, live music, food and more. The Mayfaire festival even features activities for spectators. Dress up in a 15th century Cardinal uniform and whack your family members with a foam sword. What could be better?
Carl. T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center is hosting a weekend of events in one of Michigan's most delightful getaway towns. Enjoy the Live Michigan Snakes program, a guided wetlands hike, foat fishing, archery and marksmanship challenges throughout the weekend. Or, better yet: leave the men at the Fishing Center while you and the girls enjoy relaxed shopping and dining in Cadillac's beautiful downtown district. Cadillac's one and only Wex Flea Market runs Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer.
I was listening to a song on the radio while driving the other day that started me thinking about how life was when I was growing up. Sometimes it restores the soul to visit our childhood.
Remember when the only lock in your house was a hook and eye on the screen door? Or, when a cup of coffee cost 10 cents? Or, when everyone paid their bills with cash? Remember Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey and Hopalong Cassidy? Do you remember what life was like before television, and then TV came along and a little puppet called Howdy Dowdy had everyone enthralled? How about all those summers we endured without air conditioning? And, living a full life, somehow, without computers.
Little did we know that having to learn how to type would become such a necessity in all our lives. Remember Superman comic books, fresh farm grown food on the table every night and being called home for the night by a yell or a whistle? Or, having only one phone in the house and pulling it into the closet for a private conversation with your friends? Remember having to actually do hard work for that 25 cent a week allowance? A penny from the Tooth Fairy? Swimming in a lake with fish, ducks and an occasional snake? Newspapers without inserts?
Remember being able to change the oil and doing repairs on your car yourself?
For most of us those days are long gone and we have wonderful places like Cars For Keeps to keep our cars running smoothly. Stop in for a Pit Stop Inspection for free, just like service stations used to do for you way back when service was still important.
by Dennis Sweet, Cars for Keeps Customer Service Manager
I know that many of our readers have been following our blog for a while and I hope you have found it helpful. Today I want to talk about a new local startup website, Tack-It.com.
Tack-It.com is a locally-owned classifieds website aimed at helping local community members connect with one another. Local business owners, service providers and every day folk looking to sell household items can post their products or services, which are listed according to product category and zip code. While Tack-It works somewhat similar to the popular classifieds website, Craigslist.com, it's geared more towards family-friendly use (in other words, without all the spam). Tack-It.com listings are carefully monitored to avoid abuse by its users, creating a clean, friendly environment for locals and community businesses to network.
Additionally, Tack-It.com partners with local business sponsors - like Cars for Keeps. We've teamed up with this local classifieds website ourselves as a local sponsor, and would appreciate your help in supporting this new local venture. After all, supporting local businesses helps to support local economy!
Stop on by Tack-It.com to see who's selling what - or to sell something yourself. Listings are 100% free.
In Part I we looked at the car’s ceiling and seats using adhesive Velcro. Let's venture into the rest of the car to see how Velcro can be useful in other ways.
For owners of vans, you have this delicious space between the two front seats. I've found that it's the perfect place for those plastic, stackable drawers that can face either toward the front or the back seat. Measure carefully, allowing for the seat belts and the armrests. Make sure the bottom is flat so the Velcro will stick well to the floor. For all cars that have trunks; soft-sided suitcases, baskets, car organization carriers and even toolboxes are great.
To keep them from sliding every time you turn a corner, slap on the ole Velcro and they will stay nicely in place and not roll around like bowling pins. Make sure they have flat bottoms without feet or rollers. Stick some Velcro onto you sunglasses case and stick it to the ceiling between the sunvisors.
Need more hooks? Buy those self-sticking hooks that you can remove by pulling down on the tape and attach to the smooth surfaces of the car for grocery bags, purses, the kids backpacks and other assorted things with handles to keep them in place when turning corners. Do not attach these hooks to leather, it will tear with use. For those small items like paper clips, change, stamps, cell phone headset, etc., use the ashtray. For those cupholders that have the rubber lining that keeps the cup in place are great, but the rubber comes out with the cup, a drop or two of Gorilla Glue will keep the rubber in the cupholder. And every car needs one of those pads you set on the dash to hold cell phones, change, pens, etc.
Remember, never, ever stick the sticky side of Velcro onto the car. It will ruin the finish. Always put the sticky side on the storage item.
Stop by Cars For Keeps anytime and we will help brainstorm any car problem you may have, large or small.
Like the old saying goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” My 16 year old son is a newly licensed driver. He did very well learning how to drive with an automatic transmission. Now it’s time for him to learn the manual on my Scion TC. As he struggles with the coordinated ballet of two feet, three pedals and the fine art of stalling, his frustration seems to ask, “Why?” He may have a point. It appears that it’s the beginning of the end for the good ole manual transmission.
Just about every car that I’ve owned has had a manual, except when unavailable (Ford Thunderbird and Toyota RAV4), and when I made the wrong decision as I did with my Honda Accord (its automatic began to fail after only seven years and 50,000 miles). I guess I’ve taken driving a manual transmission for granted. I don’t remember any big deal in learning how to shift. My father’s VW Bug was four-on-the-floor. After a few tries to get used to the clutch, I just got in and drove. I’ve been driving ever since.
I have always preferred a manual. It’s fun to have total control over the car, to coordinate the transmission with the vehicle’s performance, to regulate the engine’s torque to whatever driving challenge lies ahead. It feels good to be actively involved in the car’s handling, in complete control of everything the vehicle is doing. On a snowy, slippery day, I feel safe as I decide when it’s time to change gears. And, when you’re engrossed with shifting, there’s no temptation to multi-task with cell phones or any other distractions.
Automatics are more prone to failure, and they cost a lot for repairs. A transmission job for a manual can run $1200-$1500, while one for an automatic is around $3000. Also, I like saving the $1,000 premium that an automatic adds to a car’s purchase price, along with the manual’s daily fuel savings. Up until now, a stick shift has generally saved two or three miles per gallon in fuel economy. Finally, if you are stuck with a dead battery, you can always push a car to get started with a manual.
But all good things must come to an end. As recent as 1980, 35% of all cars sold had a standard transmission. Now as little as 6% of all sales are stick shifts, and that amount seems to be steadily decreasing. 2008 was the last year that a manual could be purchased on any full sized truck, while Toyota says that now only 2% of the cars they sell are manuals. If there is so little demand for a standard transmissions, manufacturers will phase manuals out altogether, to save production costs, as well as pocket the increased purchase price that comes with an automatic. It appears that the fuel savings is no longer a benefit too. Today’s computerized automatics actually come in with better mileage numbers than the manuals. The computer now knows the ideal time to shift up and down, optimizing mileage.
It appears that, other than high-end paddle shifters and various forms of Manumatic/Tiptronic transmissions, the manual’s days are numbered. My son is doing much better with his learning how to shift. It’s a good thing because its time is limited. The manual transmission is soon to go the way of carburetors and crank windows; a piece of automotive history that will only be found in auto museums and in our memories. Down shift while you can, and enjoy the ride.
The magic word here is Velcro. The black Velcro with the sticky side and the grabbing side, and the wide width. This is how to organize your car for yourself and your family. For the driver to have everything within reach. The ceiling of your car is this soft felt material that works like the smooth side of Velcro. It is also an untapped space to use for storage.
Flat CD storage holders can be found at Walmart, Target, etc. They hold 8 to 12 CD’s. Put the sticky side of the Velcro on the CD holder and slap it onto the ceiling of your car. I have mine over the sunvisor. You can put some over the back seat area for the kids, too.
Ceiling Velcro also makes it easy to store a flat document holder in which to keep you car registration, insurance papers, etc. directly over your head. Now you won't have to rummage through the glove compartment, which is free to hold heavy or bulky items such as an umbrella, trouble light/seatbelt cutter and windshield glass breaker. Use another flat document holder for a pen, a pad of Post-A-Notes, letters to be mailed, bank deposit slips or grocery lists.
Get a trash bag with Velcro straps and wrap around the base of the front seat headrest to hold things like kids games, snacks, personal DVD players, MP3 players, books or even trash. It's is easily accessible for anyone sitting in the back seats.
I have many more suggestions on how to organize your car, so this will be a two part blog - look for Tips for Organizing Your Car Part II next Friday.
A word of caution: always put the sticky side of the Velcro onto the storage item. Never, Ever put the sticky side onto the material of the car. It will pull the material away from the cars ceiling and tear it every time you get into the storage item.
Any woman, whether she works outside the home or not, is an expert at multi-tasking. We wear many hats every day. Wife, mommy, housekeeper, cleaning lady, laundress, chauffer, appointment setter/keeper, gardner, cook, nurse, lover, psychiatrist, teacher, disciplinarian and on and on. Add to that if we work outside the home.
Yes, we are experts at multi-tasking and we take it all in stride. One pat on the back coming up. But, to give the men their due, they are pretty good at it too. As a woman working at Cars For Keeps, I have observed the men I work with multi-tasking every day. For two days a while back, I watched Michael, our head mechanic, work on four cars at the same time. We were short a mechanic and everyone pitched in to keep everything running smoothly and on time. Michael was going from one car to the next car to the next car as the parts came in. We seriously considered putting him in skates. He never complained and kept his humor going, but by the end of those couple of days, he was dragging.
Our service manager, Dennis, multi-tasks 11 hours a day, five days a week. He manages the mechanics' time, helps them solve technical problems, finds and purchases the best parts at the best price for the job, deals with vendors, confers at management and marketing meetings, helps every customer meet their needs, makes technical, financial and time management decisions almost every minute, answers phone calls, makes phone calls, supervises care of the grounds around the building, handles all emergencies with efficiency, keeps up with computer information every company runs on and sometimes he even eats lunch. In the four years that I have worked with Dennis I have never seen him “lose his cool”.
So here are gold stars and fireworks and ‘good job’ kudos for all the men who work faithfully, nobly and steadfastly in their jobs. It is heroic!
by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office Manager
