Holiday Traveling

Before you hit the road for your holiday travels, think about a few things that could make your travel a lot more efficient and a lot safer. 1: Know Before You Go! If you are crossing state lines, know about the speed limits and traffic laws of the states through which you are going to travel. Being from out of state, sometimes a traffic ticket can cost you a lot of time, money and trouble. It won't take but a few minutes to research the laws about speed limits, radar detectors and things like that. Remember, in some areas it is even illegal to have things hanging from your rear view mirror! 2: Get a Free Vehicle Inspection Lots of places, including Select Transmission & Automotive in San Antonio, offer free vehicle inspections. This will allow you to know that your vehicle is really road worthy before you hit the road. Everyone jokes that road trips are no fun with kids in the car, but, can you imagine how bad they would be if you were left stranded on the side of the road with kids. A free inspection from Select Transmission & Automotive in San Antonio or from your local repair shop could save you a lot of aggrivation and time and money. 3: Change Your Oil and Check Your Tires! A vehicle running on the correct oil and with tires that are properly inflated can increase your fuel economy a lot more than what you might imagine. An oil change is not expensive and checking the air in your tires certainly is not that big of an inconvenience. Also, when you stop for fuel on your journey, take a moment and check that tire pressure again! 4: Be Familiar With Where You Are Going! Lets be real, it is 2012, and most of us don't leave our comfort zone without some sort of GPS. However, think of the worst case scenario, what if your GPS stops working for some reason. It won't hurt to have a back-up copy of your travel plans printed out from your favorite mapping website like Mapquest.com or maps.google.com. Take the 5 minutes to have your back-up ready. Who wants to argue about being lost with the husband or wife. (wives, you can do this without telling your husband, it might be better to do so in order to protect the ego!) 5: Clean Up Your Ride A clean car runs better, right? Well, there is no proof of that, but I think so. However, a nice clean car will be much more comfortable anyways. Do you really need the extra drink cups and half eaten packages of chips? Taking all that extra stuff out of the car will not only make traveling much more comfortable but, it will give you and your family some extra room to move around the cabin! 6: Slow Down Driving at slower highway speeds will actually increase your fuel economy. Reducing your speed by 5-10 miles an hour can increase your fuel economy by 5-10%. Also, a lower long term engine speed is much easier on your vehicle. Also, keep in mind, when driving unfamiliar roads, if an emergency situation comes up, the slower you are travelling, the easier it is to manage the emergency. If you need any help preparing your vehicle for Holiday Travels, call us, at 210-599-9958.