Happy Winter, northern Michigan!

Traverse City summers are always good to us, but with several December days under our belts, we’re reminded that snow is just around the corner. Driving in dark, rainy, and snowy conditions comes with the territory – here are a few at-home remedies to make your commute around town a little easier!

Rubbing alcohol

Windshield wipers DO get torn, degrade, and need replacement, but if they seem fine upon visual inspection, they may just be dirty. While most people would associate their wipers with precipitation, a lot of what lands on your windshield is kicked off the road by the cars in front of you. Road grime is dirty, greasy, sticky and salty, and it can make a mess of both our windshields and wipers.  An easy at-home remedy for cleaning wipers is rubbing alcohol. Use a soaked cotton ball or old rag and run it along the length of the wipers, being sure to clean both sides of the blade.  If the blades have remaining structural integrity, expect a streak-free shine.

A little rubbing alcohol and some elbow grease is also great for removing pine pitch from your car!

Meguiar’s Clear Plastic Cleaner

Ok, we admit this isn’t something we keep around the house, but it can be easily obtained at your local discount auto parts store (such as AutoZone).  While we will never recommend getting repair services at one of these locations, they can have some pretty  handy tools and accessories when it comes to detailing your car.  In this case, we love Meguiar’s for any clear plastic on our vehicles – namely headlights.  If your lights are looking scratched and foggy (on the outside, the interior is a different story), this product works wonders!  With a few rags and some elbow grease, this product can clear dull plastic in no time, and give you a little more light as we quickly approach the darkest day of the year.

Coleman Fuel

Sometimes tar happens, and it’s usually not pretty when it’s clinging to the outside of a white wheel well, or on any vehicle for that matter.  Coleman Fuel, lighter fluid, and even WD-40 (what doesn’t that stuff do?!?) are fantastic for removing anything that the Road Commission lays down.  And it’s pretty handing for car camping, too.

So that’s our bag of tricks – hopefully they will keep your vehicle performing and looking well.  If you have any secrets, please feel free to share!

It may be a beautiful day in northern Michigan, but the last thing you’ll be enjoying is the weather if your car is stranded on the side of the road. For most of us, this is not a regular occurrence, so our first instinct may be to hit the yellow pages for a tow truck.  If that’s the case, please take this to heart – all towing is not created equal!

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In the market for a new vehicle? Sometimes the choices available can really throw a person for a tailspin. Every automotive manufacturer has mastered the art of marketing, and it can be increasingly difficult to see how different makes and models compare in terms of safety and efficiency. If you are in the market for a used vehicle, Dave has several tips to consider before purchasing your next ride:

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