When I was in school, the internet wasn’t even a glimmer.  Now that I am an business owner in this age, I find that my learning curve is absolutely straight up.  Websites were great things to look at, but the idea of social networking to increase your business was a foreign language to me.  Russell Fair is one of the main reasons I have come as far as I have, and when he spoke to our Golden Referrals group yesterday, I was amazed that there is still so much to learn.  My blog www.womensautomotiveconnection.com/blog/ is one of Russell creations, and along with that he has educated me on Internet 2.0.  I have a long way to go, but would recommend you go to his blog,  http://rfwebstudio.com/blogs-rss/link-love-do-unto-others/, and find out what he can do.

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If you have a vehicle that has over 100k miles, it means that you have probably taken care of well so far. Now, you have to begin treating it like you would any senior citizen. Spark plugs, timing belt, fuel and water pumps are some of the parts that could fail. Begin by having a trusted mechanic check all of these for wear if you plan to keep the vehicle. Remember the rule that you should budget about $200 a month for vehicle maintenance, and this will cover replacement of these items should they require it. Continuing regular oil changes every 3-5k miles is crucial. The higher value is if you are using synthetic oil. Going beyond that guideline will put your engine at risk. Oil is the life blood of an engine, and prevents excess wear. Extreme driving conditions also put a strain on the vehicle. Most people don’t realize that city driving is the most extreme that you can do, because of the many stop and go situations. I advise my clients to always remember “tires & brakes”. No matter how well your engine is performing, if your car will not stop when you need it to, the results are obvious. Check your tire pressure once a month, rotate your tires at every other oil change, and have your brakes inspected at every tire rotation. Just being aware of the health of your vehicle can extend its life. The biggest mistake people make is only to address their car when there is a problem. Walk around it every week or so and check that all your lights are working and that your tires are not wearing badly. Don’t wait, perform your maintenance as a check up against future problems. Replacing a wearing part is much cheaper than waiting for it to fail.

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In answer to a recent comment on this blog regarding how often to change your oil, I answered:

You will always get mixed advice re oil changes.  I, for one, err on the conservative side.  It depends on what oil you use and how you drive.  I use Mobil 1 synthetic, and change my oil every 5000 miles, religiously.  BMW “counter” on the MINI is every 10000 miles, but I could never do that.  According to their “counter” I would have changed my oil 4 times in 51,000 miles.  HUH?  If you use synthetic and drive in Atlanta mostly, every 5000 is good.  If you use regular oil, you should drop it to every 3,000 miles.  I hope this confuses things more for you, it does me.

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Most people do not think about how much money rushing around can cost them.  The biggest cost is in gas mileage and more money at the pump.  Keeping your vehicle at a steady, reasonable speed can increase your mileage by two to three miles per gallon.  When you make that jack rabbit start at a red light, chances are you will hit the next one red as well.  Not only that, but you increase the stress on your engine and tires by making these sudden lurches.  When someone asks what kind of driving conditions you are in most of the time, people respond based on how quickly they get where they are going.  However, the truth of the matter is that the most extreme conditions are those where you are in heavy traffic with a a lot of stop and go.  That makes driving in the city the most severe conditions your car will encounter.  Most drivers I see are right on the bumper of the car in front of them, and constantly on the brakes.  Think about it!  What wears our brake pads - using them.  So, the next time you are in a hurry, remember, slow and steady wins the race and you car will last a lot longer.  The constant drain of money for gas, tires, and brakes is not worth getting somewhere two minutes earlier.

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Today, we are launching a seminar for women for Visions Anew at Tea Leaves & Thyme in Woodstock, GA.  In collaboration with Sherry Richardson of Alan Cox Automotive, this new program is going to be offered to women’s groups to educate and empower women in taking care of their vehicles.  We are fortunate to have sponsors from RBC Bank, Mary Ellen Vanaken of Keller-Williams Realty, Jennifer Heal of Edward Jones Investments, and Liza Kirby of Creative Ventures.  We are going to find other women’s groups in the area to help more of them in an area that has long been neglected.  Let us know if you know of a group that would like to avail themselves of this valuable program.

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