10 Features You Almost Never See in Cars Anymore!

It’s hard to picture what today’s teenagers will wax nostalgic about 30 years from now when they reminisce about their first car (perhaps the fact that it still required gasoline). Who knows how automobiles will change in the future; what we do know is how different they are today from 30 or more years ago. If you fondly remember being surrounded by two or three tons of solid Detroit steel with a whip antenna on the front from which you could tie a raccoon tail or adorn with an orange Union 76 ball, and enough leg room that you didn’t suffer from phlebitis on long road trips, then you might also miss a few of these.

 Feature 1:  Bench Seats

Remember these?  Back before seat belts were even included in cars—much less mandatory to wear—three passengers could fit comfortably in the front of most cars, or four if one was a child or a skinny relative. Many sly males took advantage of the seat design while driving with a female companion; a quick, unexpected sharp turn made with his right arm resting on the seat back sent the lady sliding right into his embrace.  Smooth!

Feature 2:  Tail Fins

Tailfins were the brainchild of General Motors design chief Harley Earl. The first fins appeared on the 1948 Cadillac, inspired by the WWII Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane. By the late 1950s, most folks had shrugged off the war and were fixated instead on all things space-age. Tail fins grew to enormous proportions, both in terms of physical size and in popularity, giving cars a futuristic look.

Feature 3:  Ash Treys

Ashtrays were commonly found in the dashboard (along with an electric lighter), mounted on the back of the front seat, and in the armrests on opposite sides of the back seat. Even if you weren’t a smoker, the tray in the dash was handy for storing coins, and the rear ones were handy receptacles for candy wrappers and discarded chewing gum.

Feature 4:  Pointlessly Huge Trunks

Back in the good old days you could easily fit a week’s worth of groceries, the spare tire, and a Mafia snitch in the trunk and still have room for that old TV set with the blown picture tube you’ve been meaning to take to the repair shop.

Feature 5:  A Full-Size Spare Tire

The advantage with a full-size spare was that you could put it on, stow the flat tire in your trunk, and go on your merry way with no particular urgency to get it repaired (unlike today’s donuts, which are designed to be used for limited distances at speeds under 50 miles per hour). The disadvantage was that sometimes you went on your merry way for many months … until one day you got another puncture, only to discover that the tire in your trunk was just as flat as the one on the axle.  Oops!

Feature 6:  Floor-Mounted Dimmer Switch

In the old days, your high beam switch was actually a button in the general vicinity left of the brake pedal, so even in an unfamiliar car all you had to do was tap around with your toe a few times to find it.

Feature 7: Vent Windows

Vent or “wing” windows were popular in the pre-air conditioning era of automotive manufacturing. But they were convenient for many purposes that are still valid today. For example, on those days when it’s temperate enough to open windows rather than run the A/C, the vent windows allowed air to circulate freely without blowing street grime in your face and messing your hair. Smokers also appreciated being able to flick their ashes out the “no-draft” without the fear of them flying back inside the vehicle.

Feature 8:  Horn Rings!

Horn rings were originally considered a safety feature as well as a convenience device. Previously, the driver had to completely remove one hand from the steering wheel to depress the button in the center to honk the horn. The horn ring was designed so that both hands could remain on the wheel and just a stretch of a finger or thumb would be able to beep a warning sound. As driver side airbags started entering the market, horn activation was relocated to a button in the steering wheel spokes.

Feature 9:  Audible Turn Signals

How many fewer drivers would drive for miles and miles with their turn signal flashing if the indicators still made an audible noise as they blinked? In the old days, the sound was more of a tinka-tinka high-pitched tone, but even this late '90s audible click might keep a few folks from appearing to be making their way around the world to the left.

Feature 10:  “Suicide” Doors

Rear-hinged doors got their macabre name in the pre-seat belt era; if such a door wasn’t closed tight while the car was in motion, the road wind would fling it wide open and the passenger would most likely be tossed to the pavement. But they were popular for quite a while up until the 1960s because of the convenience—there was no pillar separating the front and back seats when both side doors were opened, so there was plenty of room to daintily climb inside (especially in a time when women regularly wore dresses and high heels).

3 gifts that your significant other would love for Valentines Day!

The countdown is on. There are only a few days left until Valentine's Day. If you're one of those significant others who are procrastination pros, don't worry, we're here to help. Here are three great gift ideas for the car enthusiast in your life:

• Fuzzy Dice - A classic choice.  These bad boys are tried and true, and still awesome enough to outweigh any possibletackiness that might come along with them!  Just make sure they match the color of your car!
• Steering Wheel Cover - A great way to showcase your personality.  They're not permanent and they come in all kinds of cool colors, designs, and materials!
• 3D Race Track Sculptures from Linear Edge - The perfect contemporary art for anyone interested in racing!  They also sell some really neat coasters!

These are just a few ideas. If you have some cool suggestions, share them in the comments below. And before you head out for your Valentine's Day festivities, be sure to stay safe on the road and schedule a service appointment with us online!

Car Care Tip of the Week: Use Your Headrest!

Looking for ways to reduce driving fatigue?  Try this!  Before you hit the road, sit up straight, raise your head as high as you can, and press it into the headrest. Hold it there for five seconds, then relax.  Repeat four or five times.  Doing this will improve your posture and put muscles like your multifidus to work, which helps to hold your spine in a normal load-bearing position. This, in turn, will reduce the strain on your neck and make driving that much more comfortable!

Put this old-school Subaru back together for today's Throwback Thursday!

Hey everyone!  For today's Throwback Thursday, we figured we'd get a little more interactive!  Below you will find an old-school Subaru that needs to be put back together!  Fit the pieces together and tell us which model it is (leave the comment on our Facebook!)

Didn't make a New Year's Resolution (or already gave up on them)?

Don't worry, your secret is safe with us!  But even for a highly skilled procrastinator like you, it's not too late to tackle 2014 with some positive goals.  Commit yourself to keeping at least three of these resolutions with your car for 2014.  You won't regret it-- not to mention the fact that you'll have a safer and happier year!  

IN 2014, I PROMISE TO...

-Make sure the gas cap is secure and tight. A loose gas cap can trigger the “Check Engine” or “service Engine Soon” light.
-Get regular oil changes.  It sounds simple because it is!  Plus, it's the best way to ensure the longevity of the engine.
-Keep the interior of my car clean.  It’s as simple as remembering to pick up after yourself.  Cleaning up a year’s worth of mess out of your car is a daunting task—make it a daily thing.  If you take out of the car what you brought in that day, it’s easy to maintain!
-Ensure my tires are properly inflated. When maintained on a regular basis, properly inflated tires improve gas mileage by more than 3 percent.
-Test my battery every autumn. If your car’s battery is three years old or more, consider replacing it.  The chance of failure increases the longer you go without replacing it.-Replace my windshield wipers every 6 months or 6,000 miles.  
Every 12 months or 12,000 miles, the brakes, spark plugs, and coolant will be check to ensure they are operating properly.

3 important things that will help you avoid an automobile accident

REALITY CHECK: 

You are 23 times more likely to be in a car accident if you are driving distracted.

Consider what you're really putting at risk when your eyes leave the road.

-Put the cell phone down. 

Turn it off if the sound of a text alert or call will tempt you to check it.  This seems like an obvious one, but according to the Official US Government Website for Distracted Driving, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving at ANY given daylight moment in America.

-Don’t eat or drink while driving.   

It’s tempting to swing by a drive-thru and hop back on the road to make good time on your trip.  But think about the risks involved--fiddling with wrappers, finding condiment packages, and dealing with the mess made are all distractions that take your eyes off the road.  Think about whether shaving that extra hour off your trip is worth cutting your life or the lives of others short.

-Clean up & fuel up.

Make sure your windshield is clean, oil changed, and vehicle generally maintained BEFORE you start your travels!  Seeing your check engine light switch on or struggling with low visibility due to windshield grime is an avoidable distraction--so avoid it.

Here's a bit of information about the flu and how to avoid it (or fight it off if it's too late)!

As most of North America is still reeling the the cold temperatures caused by the polar vortex, reports of the flu are on the rise.  But what causes the flu?  How does it spread?  What can you do to avoid catching it?  And what can you do to minimize its effects if you do catch it?  As our valued customers, friends, and family, we take a very personal interest in your well being-- that's while we've compiled a blog to shed some light on the subject and keep you healthy throughout the flu season and beyond!

So, what causes it?

Contrary to a popular old wives' tale, there is no proven correlation between cold temperatures and the flu; it is actually a viral infection caused by a virus called "influenza".  There are countless strains and mutations of the flu, in no small part thanks to its staggering propensity to rapidly evolve and adapt to new conditions.

Unlike a bacterial infections, which are caused by microscopic living organisms, viral infections are caused by tiny quasi-organic structures that can linger in your body long after symptoms from the illnesses they cause have subsided.  This is because a virus integrates itself directly into the DNA of some of your cells in order to replicate itself.  A virus works by literally entering one of your cells, splicing its own genetic material into your DNA, and waiting for the cell to do the rest.  When the cell's nucleus goes to carry out its instructions, as detailed by your DNA "blueprint", it doesn't notice that some recent "additions" have been made.  The viral DNA deceives the nucleus, convincing it to begin manufacturing new viral parts and to assemble them like a car at the factory, only at an frighteningly fast and unsustainable pace.  Once the cell's resources have been expended, the newly constructed virus clones burst out, killing their host in the process, and proceed to repeat the process in new cells.

Although viruses may vary in size and shape, they are all deceptively simple in design.  A mature virion is simply strands of viral genetic material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a "shell" of protein.  They cannot move, think, or reproduce at all without a host organism.

Luckily our bodies have known about viruses for a very long time, and your immune system is no stranger to their tricks.  Most of the time, your immune system can identify a weak point in a virus' armor and exploit it, producing antibodies that do not directly kill viruses, but rather prevent them from entering a host cell.  Without a host cell, a virus is weak, defenseless, and easily mopped up by a wandering white blood cell.  There is, as always, a caveat:  If the remaining viral infection detects an imminent defeat at the hands of your immune system, it can send itself into a "latent" state that can last for months or years.  Think of a latent state as a form of viral hibernation.  In this state, your body cannot detect the virus because it is asleep inside of your cells, but the virus cannot do any harm at all to your body.  It's a biological stalemate!

Viruses are particularly unique because they walk a blurry line between "living organism" and "inanimate object".  Because they are not technically alive, they cannot be killed with drug-based antibiotics that normally destroy bacterial infections in a matter of days or less.  This is why there are no "cures" for the flu.  It also explains why, once you get the flu, you usually just have to suffer through it.  You have to let your body create its own unique suit of armor to effectively combat equally unique viral invaders.  Unless, of course, you are a crocodile or an alligator, whose immune systems indiscriminately obliterate virtually every type of invasive bacteria and virus known to man.  Indeed, their immune systems are every bit as ravenous as the animals they belong to.

What can I do to protect myself against it?
There's a few things you can do to give yourself an edge when it comes to avoiding the infection all together:

• Wash your hands.  Seriously, wash 'em.  You'll probably never realize how helpful performing this simple act is, but that's kind of the idea.  Your basis of comparison would be contracting a good ole' fashioned case of the flu.  Or the cold.  Or most other common illnesses, really.

• Get a flu shot.  As we mentioned before, your body needs to adapt itself to new strains of the flu on an almost annual basis.  That's where vaccination comes in.  A "flu shot" is an injection of incomplete or inhibited influenza.  Each year, scientists create a new vaccine based on that year's most prevalent strains of the flu.  The weakened virus in the vaccine is similar enough to the real thing that your body can get a head start on antibody creation without any of the side effects.  Or at least, that's the idea.

• Talk to your doctor about antiviral medication.  "But wait!", you might be saying, "didn't you say there was no cure for the flu?"  Indeed, there is no cure for the flu.  But modern science has advanced to the point where we have access to some antiviral drugs capable of combating the flu.  These drugs prevent the virus from replicating, the same way that your body's antibodies fight viral infections.  Unfortunately, drugs cannot adapt to resistances that viruses may develop, particularly in viruses like the flu that mutate and adapt so readily.  For this reason, drug-related therapies are saved as a last resort.  If a drug-resistant influenza were to start spreading, we wouldn't be able to help those who would've otherwise benefited from the treatment.

What can I do if I catch it anyway?
At the end of the day, sometimes catching the flu is just an inevitable part of life.  We've all had it, and we'll most likely all have it again at some point.  Once you have it, you have to suffer through it-- there's just no getting around it.  But that doesn't mean you can't do some things that will help your body send the infection into full retreat a little quicker.

Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins to your immune system.  Consume it liberally!  Well, within reason, anyway-- don't choke down 5 lbs of the stuff or anything!

First of all, make sure you're drinking plenty of fluids.  Yes, we've all heard it, but no one really explains just why it's so important.  Well, there are a few reasons.  It helps break up thick patches of mucus that can contain a staggering amount of viral particles.  Second, you have to consider your own biology; you are mostly made of water.  Every chemical reaction, every cell division, and every biological function that happens inside of you does so with the help of water.  Without it, your body has no medium in which to perform its miracles, and your immune system is no exception.  You need water, especially when you're sick.

Secondly, make sure you're resting.  Your body possesses a finite amount of energy in which to operate on, and when its fighting an infection, it's already running on fumes.  If you don't take it easy, your brain will be forced to divert energy away from your immune system and into other things, like your muscles, that are never hesitant to ask for a little more!  With less resources to work with, your immune system works on a skeleton crew, and takes longer to fight off the virus.  Delegate your resources wisely!

Finally, make sure you are receiving proper nutrition while you are sick.  Vitamin C is an especially important raw material to your immune system, so try to stock up on citrus fruit and nibble on them throughout the day.  Over-the-counter vitamin C products can help, but it's always best to get your vitamins straight from the food that your bodies evolved to process over the long years.

We hope you learned a thing or two, and we hope you and your families stay safe and healthy throughout the new year!  When in doubt about the flu, the government has set up a useful website that can provide further information and resources for you to look over:

http://www.flu.gov/