Maintaining Your Car's 'Cool' Factor

It is that time of year again. The weather is heating up and summer is finally here. We want you to think twice if you are a person who often parks their car outside. If you are, make sure to find a shady spot or park your car in undercover parking to avoid you paint being hit by the suns dangerous UV rays which wear down the paint. So, do the cool thing and find some shade to keep your car looking fresh!

Parallel Park Like it's No Big Deal

Remember the one thing you were nervous about doing for your driver’s test? 

Parallel parking, it never went away. When you see others do it with ease you get jealous! There is no time like the present to master this skill. Take the weekend and a couple of cones in your driveway and make someone else jealous with your expert parking skills.

• Slowly maneuver your vehicle so that you are parallel with the front car surrounding the spot, you should be about 2-3 feet away from the side of the car.
• Check your mirrors for any other traffic and when you are sure there is nothing in the way, put your vehicle in reverse.
• Begin to turn your steering wheel to the right while slowly backing in to the spot.
• Once you are farther into the space slowly begin to straighten your wheel out, continually checking for the other cars and objects in your mirrors.
• Here is a tip- when your front wheel passes the back bumper of the car you were parallel with earlier, turn your wheel to the left
•  Once your car is parked next to the curb you may need to adjust your vehicle. Again, always check your mirrors.

When you are ready to leave whatever fabulous event you were attending, here are some tips on leaving the parking space.

• Reverse as much as you can without hitting the car behind you.
• Look for oncoming traffic and slowly turn the wheel to your left to merge onto the street
  
  
  Drive away and relish in the fact that everyone just saw you expertly pull away from your spot.
  Great Job!

If you hate rush hour traffic, stay away from these places.

The next time you’re sitting in rush hour traffic, just be glad you’re not in LA.  If you are in LA…well, our condolences.  TomTom has just released its definitive list of this year’s Top 10 Most Congested Cities.  So if sitting in traffic behind a sea of red taillights makes you see red, it’s best to steer clear of these problem spots. 

1. Los Angeles, CA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Honolulu, HI
4. Seattle, WA
5. San Jose, CA
6. Washington, DC
7. New York, NY
8. Portland, OR
9. Boston, MA
10. Chicago, IL

Say Cheese!

Once you are old enough to get your driver’s license photo taken, the preparation is essential. Take a look at these tips to take the best photo ever!

Do not wear white, it tends to make people look sickly under the lighting at the DMV.

Avoid wearing t- shirts with slogans, plain shirts with soft colors such as blue, green and 

pink tend to be the best.

If you are getting your photo taken during allergy season or if you have a cold, use eye drops and make sure your eyes wide open.

Keep your hair neat and normal, today is not the day to try out a fancy hair do or new hair color.

Ladies, know how to wear your makeup. Too much eye shadow tends to make your eyes disappear and too little makes you look like a zombie. Practice makes perfect!

Like we said before, practice makes perfect! It may seem silly to practice smiling in the mirror but it can only benefit you in the end.

Be on time for your appointment and stay patient. DMV’s are notoriously slow but the wait will be worth a great picture!

Not the best photo. This won't happen to you.