Auto Estrogen

The sticker on my windshield says time for an oil change. It was left on my car from the last oil change by the nice auto repairman to remind me of the next time I needed the service. And he made it really easy for me to remember —– he left it in the upper left corner of the driver side window (kind of hard to miss). All I have to do is match the numbers on the sticker with the numbers on my odometer and that’s it.

So the numbers match and I’m taking my car in. Why? Because I want to be a good steward of car maintenance. There’s a good reason for that, too — I want my car to last and an oil change is a really simple car maintenance task — inexpensive, takes very little time and can add years of life to your car. The alternative, not being a regular oil changer can cause havoc with your engine and cost you thousands of dollars for the oversight.

Now is a great time to get a grip on your auto maintenance. To help you keep track of everything, we’ve partnered with myEZ Car Care, which offers the Electronic Glove Box, a great online tool that helps you keep track of everything with email reminders, vendor discounts and more.

No wonder the auto industry is suffering. In an economy where people are losing their jobs and houses, not many folks are pulling out the dough to buy a new car. For those who are spending money, they’re more likely buying pre-owned versus new, at least until the economy becomes a bit more stable. If you happen to be one of the many that’s reining in on the spending, here are 10 ideas to get your current car looking and feeling like new.

1. Get your car detailed. There’s nothing like a good washing, inside and out, to get a car looking cleaner, smelling fresher and feeling more enjoyable to ride in.

2. Have your car waxed. Aaah, the shine.

3. Purchase new seat covers. Yeah, just think, with new seat covers you can change the color and the feel of your car and you can do it for little of nothing.

4. Buy an air freshener. A clean smelling car is always nice and if you like the new car smell that’s available too.

5. Replace the floor mats.

6. Install a new disc player.

7. Get a paint job. Nothing like a new color to give a car a new look. Try coordinating the colors with the interior.

8. Get a tune-up. You’d be amazed at how different your car feels and how different you feel in your car when it’s running properly.

9. Get some new tires. Same here. New tires give a car a totally different feel. You’ll thoroughly enjoy your smoother ride.

10. Get a new friend. Yeah, change out your passengers and enjoy some new conversation!

Happy riding.

I don’t know what’s on your Christmas list, but I can tell you what’s on the ‘Big 3’s” — $34 billion dollars worth of bailout money. Two weeks ago the “money elves” sent them home with little more than a request for a better detailed “Christmas List”, namely a clearer understanding of just how they
would be using this money.

There is no doubt the auto companies are in trouble and they have been for quite some time. So now the question is will the government bail them out? Is this $34 Billiion dollars the gift they need to restructure their companies? Will they include a plan for making more fuel-efficient cars? Or will the CEO’s continue flying around in big jets?

What do you think — will the Detroit Big 3, get $34 Billion Dollars for Christmas?