F R M Blog

Drivers who live in cold and wet climates are all too familiar with what happens to roadways when the ice begins to thaw or flooding occurs. Potholes appear and they are a major pitfall of springtime driving. While hitting one can give you a jolt, it can also seriously damage your vehicle.The non-profit Car Care Council urges motorists who have hit a pothole to watch out for the following warning signs that key safety-related systems may have been damaged: Steering and suspension: Loss of contr …

The Car Maintenance Checklist Here are 7 easy steps to a long-running car you can rely on. 1. Keep your tires in shape It's easy to take those tires for granted. But according to safercar.gov, more than 11,000 tow-away (that is, pretty serious) crashes annually are caused, in part, by tire issues. Check air pressure: Underinflated tires are 3 times more likely to cause a serious accident than their properly pumped counterparts. Use a pressure gauge to test them at least once a m …

Pre-Trip Check Helps Avoid Road Trip Breakdown School’s out for summer and your family is ready for a much needed summer vacation. But is your vehicle ready for the road? A new video from the non-profit Car Care Council explains the importance of a pre-trip vehicle check and the steps to be taken to be road-trip ready. “A pre-trip vehicle check helps determine if a vehicle is ready for the road so you can avoid the inconvenience, potential safety hazards and unplanned expense of breakin …

Spark Plugs Need to Be Replaced Periodically That little engine part called the spark plug performs a huge job in delivering a vehicle’s power, performance, dependability and fuel efficiency and, according to the non-profit Car Care Council, should be replaced periodically. “Spark plugs are one of the hardest working parts of a vehicle. A spark plug can fire 400 times per minute per cylinder or 1,600 times a minute on a four-cylinder engine,” said Rich White, executive director, Ca …

Top 5 Tire Myths Debunked They affect your car’s handling, ride, braking and safety. But most people don’t give much thought to them. Eighty-three percent of drivers aren’t “tire smart” (i.e., they don’t know how to properly check tire pressure), according to a 2015 survey from the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA). You may be thinking, Tires haven’t changed since I bought my first set. Wrong! Since they carry you and your car around on the road, taking proper care of …